Shloka 5
कर्णभीमयुद्धम्
Karna–Bhīma Combat Report
सर्वे द्रोणरथं प्राप्प पज्चाला: पाण्डवै: सह । तदनीकं बिभित्सन्तो महास्त्राणि व्यदर्शयन्,समस्त पांचाल पाण्डवोंके साथ द्रोणाचार्यके रथके समीप जाकर उनकी सेनाके व्यूहका भेदन करनेकी इच्छासे बड़े-बड़े अस्त्रोंका प्रदर्शन करने लगे
saṃjaya uvāca | sarve droṇarathaṃ prāpya pāñcālāḥ pāṇḍavaiḥ saha | tad-anīkaṃ bibhitsanto mahāstrāṇi vyadarśayan |
Sañjaya said: Then all the Pāñcālas, together with the Pāṇḍavas, drew near to Droṇa’s chariot. Intent on breaking through that battle-array and disrupting his host, they began to display and unleash mighty weapons—an escalation driven by urgency and the grim ethics of war, where tactical necessity presses warriors toward ever more destructive means.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata tension: in war, even righteous aims can drive escalation. Tactical necessity (breaking the enemy’s formation) tempts warriors to deploy ever greater weapons, raising ethical pressure around proportionality and restraint within kṣatriya-dharma.
The Pāñcālas, allied with the Pāṇḍavas, advance toward Droṇa’s chariot. Their immediate goal is to pierce and disrupt Droṇa’s battle-front/formation, and they begin to display and employ powerful astras to achieve a breakthrough.