Shloka 22
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
स सम्प्रहारस्तुमुलस्तस्य तेषां च धन्विनाम् । देवासुररणप्रख्य: प्रावर्तत जनक्षय:,सात्यकि तथा आपकी सेनाके धनुर्धरोंका वह नरसंहारकारी युद्ध देवासुर-संग्रामके समान अत्यन्त भयंकर हो चला
sa samprahāras tumulas tasya teṣāṃ ca dhanvinām | devāsura-raṇa-prakhyaḥ prāvartata jana-kṣayaḥ |
Pertempuran antara Sātyaki dan para pemanah pasukanmu berubah menjadi bentrokan dahsyat yang menumpahkan banyak nyawa, mengerikan laksana perang para dewa melawan para asura.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: when combat escalates into uncontrolled fury, it becomes jana-kṣaya—mass human destruction—evoking cosmic-scale conflict (deva–asura war) to highlight how violence can eclipse discernment and dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a fierce, chaotic engagement has erupted between the principal warrior (implied by context) and the opposing archers; the fighting intensifies into a devastating slaughter likened to the gods-versus-asuras battle.