Shloka 35
कर्ण-पाण्डव-संमर्दः — Karṇa and Arjuna’s Intensified Engagement
तयो: प्रैक्षन्त सम्मर्द संनिकृष्टं महास्त्रयो: । तव दुर्मन्त्रिते राजन् सपुत्रस्य विशाम्पते,राजन! प्रजानाथ! पुत्रोंसहित आपकी कुमन्त्रणाके फलस्वरूप महान् अस्त्रधारी भीमसेन और कर्णका अत्यन्त निकटसे होनेवाला संघर्ष सब लोग देख रहे थे
tayor praikṣanta samarda-sannikṛṣṭaṁ mahāstrayoḥ | tava durmantrite rājan saputrasya viśāmpate ||
Sañjaya said: All were watching the fierce clash that had drawn very near between the two great wielders of mighty weapons. O king, lord of the people, this impending combat—born of your ill counsel—was to be the bitter consequence that would fall upon you and your sons.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores moral responsibility in leadership: a ruler’s flawed counsel and choices (durmantrita) generate consequences that return upon himself and his lineage, especially in the context of war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that everyone is witnessing an imminent, close-quarters clash between two formidable warriors, and he frames it as the outcome of the king’s misguided decisions.