Shloka 14
कर्णसेनापत्यारम्भः — Karṇa’s Appointment and the Report to Dhṛtarāṣṭra
Chapter 1
ततः प्रववृते युद्ध तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम् । कुरूणां पाण्डवानां च परस्परजयैषिणाम्
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ tumulaṃ lomaharṣaṇam | kurūṇāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ ca parasparajayaiṣiṇām ||
Kemudian pecahlah pertempuran—ganas, hiruk-pikuk, dan mengguncang bulu roma—antara para Kuru dan Pāṇḍava, yang masing-masing mendambakan kemenangan atas yang lain.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the pursuit of victory (jaya) can eclipse dharma when relatives become enemies. It frames the war not as mere spectacle but as an ethically charged catastrophe driven by mutual victory-seeking, reminding the reader that intention and attachment to triumph intensify suffering.
At the opening of the Karṇa Parva, Vaiśampāyana narrates that a terrifying, chaotic battle breaks out between the Kuru forces and the Pāṇḍavas, with both sides pressing forward determined to defeat the other.