Shloka 20
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
उहामाना रथाश्रेभै: पत्तयश्न जिघांसव: । समभ्यधावन्नस्यन्तो विविध॑ क्षिप्रमायुधम्,रथों, घोड़ों और हाथियोंके सवार तथा पैदल सैनिक उन्हें मार डालनेकी इच्छासे नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका प्रहार करते हुए शीघ्रतापूर्वक धावा बोलने लगे
ūhamānā rathāśrebhaiḥ pattayaś ca jighāṃsavaḥ | samabhyadhāvann asyanto vividhaṃ kṣipram āyudham ||
Sañjaya said: Eager to slay, the foot-soldiers and the foremost of chariot-warriors rushed forward together, swiftly hurling a variety of weapons. The battlefield surged with coordinated assaults—mounted and infantry alike pressing in with lethal intent, showing how, in the heat of war, resolve hardens into collective violence and the struggle for victory eclipses restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the momentum of war: when the aim becomes killing, groups act in concert and speed replaces deliberation. Ethically, it illustrates how intention (jighāṃsā—desire to slay) shapes action and how battlefield duty can slide into sheer violence if not tempered by discernment.
Sañjaya describes a sudden charge: elite chariot-fighters and infantry surge forward together, rapidly launching many kinds of weapons at their opponents, intensifying the clash in Karṇa Parva.