Shloka 403
अर्जुनस्य द्रोणिप्रतिघातः कर्णोपसर्पणं च
Arjuna Checks Droṇaputra; Karṇa Advances
निध्नतां सायकैस्तूर्णमन्योन्यस्य वर्ध॑ प्रति । बाणोंद्वारा शीघ्रतापूर्वक एक-दूसरेके वधके लिये चोट करते हुए वीरोंका वह महान् युद्ध देवासुर-संग्रामके समान भयंकर जान पड़ता था
sañjaya uvāca | nidhna-tāṃ sāyakais tūrṇam anyonyasya vadhaṃ prati | vīrāṇāṃ tad mahad yuddhaṃ devāsura-saṅgrāma-samaṃ bhayaṅkaraṃ babhūva ||
Sañjaya berkata: Ketika para kesatria dengan cepat saling menghantam dengan anak panah, masing-masing mengincar kematian lawannya, pertempuran besar itu tampak mengerikan—laksana perang purba antara para dewa dan asura.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how war, driven by mutual intent to kill, becomes a terrifying force that overwhelms ordinary human measure—invoking the cosmic-scale image of the devas and asuras. It implicitly warns that when the aim is destruction rather than restraint, violence escalates beyond control, challenging ethical limits even within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: warriors rapidly exchange volleys of arrows, each trying to slay the other. The intensity and scale of the fighting make it seem like the legendary war between gods and demons.