Shloka 2
कर्णभीमयुद्धम्
Karna–Bhīma Combat Report
संजय उवाच अपराह्न महाराज संग्रामे लोमहर्षणे । पज्चालानां कुरूणां च द्रोणद्यूतमवर्तत,संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! उस दिन अपराह्न-कालमें, जब रोमांचकारी युद्ध चल रहा था, पांचालों और कौरवोंमें द्रोणाचार्यको दाँवपर रखकर द्यूत-सा होने लगा
sañjaya uvāca aparāhṇe mahārāja saṅgrāme lomaharṣaṇe | pāñcālānāṃ kurūṇāṃ ca droṇadyūtam avartata ||
Sañjaya said: O King, in the afternoon, while the battle raged in a hair-raising fury, a gamble-like contest arose between the Pāñcālas and the Kurus—one in which Droṇa himself became the stake. The scene suggests a grim ethical inversion: in the heat of war, a revered teacher is treated as an object to be won or lost, revealing how conflict can erode reverence and restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the metaphor of dyūta (gambling) to show an ethical collapse in war: even a venerable teacher like Droṇa can be reduced to a 'stake.' It cautions that when victory becomes obsession, people and values are treated as objects, and dharma is obscured by expediency.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, in the afternoon phase of a fierce battle, the Kurus and the Pāñcālas engaged in a struggle described as 'gamble-like,' with Droṇa effectively becoming the central prize or stake—foreshadowing attempts to neutralize or bring down Droṇa through stratagem and focused assault.