Shloka 6
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
श्र॒त्वा तु निर्जितं कर्णमसकृद् भीमकर्मणा । भीमसेनेन समरे मोह आविशतीव माम्,समरांगणमें भयंकर कर्म करनेवाले भीमसेनके द्वारा कर्णके बारंबार पराजित होनेकी बात सुनकर मेरे मनपर मोह-सा छा जाता है
śrutvā tu nirjitaṃ karṇam asakṛd bhīma-karmaṇā | bhīmasenena samare moha āviśatīva mām ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing again and again that Karṇa has been defeated in battle by Bhīmasena—whose deeds on the battlefield are terrible—I feel as though a cloud of delusion overwhelms my mind. The report shakes my composure, for it signals a grave turning of fortune amid the war’s moral and strategic turmoil.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the inner collapse that can follow shocking news in war: even a seasoned narrator like Sañjaya feels moha (bewilderment) when a major warrior’s repeated defeat is reported. Ethically, it underscores how attachment to outcomes and reputations destabilizes judgment, while the battlefield continually overturns expectations.
Sañjaya reports that he has heard multiple times that Karṇa has been defeated by Bhīmasena in the battle. This repeated reversal of a key fighter’s standing causes Sañjaya to feel mentally overwhelmed, signaling a tense and ominous shift in the war’s momentum.