Shloka 22
दुःशासननिग्रहः—द्रोणधृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धप्रसङ्गः
Rebuke of Duḥśāsana; Context of the Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Combat
तुमुलः स महान् राजन् प्रावर्तत जनक्षय: । त्वया संजनितो>त्यर्थ कणेन च विवर्धित:,राजन्! इस प्रकार वह महाभयंकर जनसंहार चालू हो गया, जिसकी परिस्थितिको आपने ही उत्पन्न किया है और कर्णने उसे अत्यन्त बढ़ावा दिया है
tumulaḥ sa mahān rājan prāvartata janakṣayaḥ | tvayā sañjanito 'tyarthaṁ karṇena ca vivardhitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, that vast and tumultuous slaughter of men began—an exceedingly dreadful destruction whose conditions were set in motion by you, and which Karṇa then intensified to an extreme degree. The verse underscores the moral weight of leadership: war’s catastrophe is not merely an event on the battlefield but the ripening of choices and provocations for which rulers and chief agents bear responsibility.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights moral accountability in collective violence: catastrophic war is portrayed as the consequence of deliberate human agency—especially the decisions of rulers (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) and the actions of principal warriors (Karṇa). It frames slaughter not as fate alone but as ethically traceable causation.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a massive, chaotic killing has begun on the battlefield. He pointedly attributes the origin of the conditions to the king’s role and says that Karṇa has further escalated the destruction.