Shloka 12
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
गदा: प्रासाञ्छितान् कुन्तान् भिन्दिपालान् महाड्ः कुशान् | प्रगृह्य क्षिप्रमापेतु: परस्परजिघांसया,दोनों दलोंके सैनिक एक-दूसरेको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे धनुष, बाण, परिघ, खड्ग, पट्टिश, तोमर, मूसल, भुशुण्डी, शक्ति, ऋष्टि, फरसे, गदा, प्रास, तीखे कुन्त, भिन्दिपाल और बड़े-बड़े अंकुश लेकर शीघ्रतापूर्वक युद्धके मैदानमें कूद पड़े थे
sañjaya uvāca |
gadāḥ prāsāñ chitān kuntān bhindipālān mahāṅkuśān |
pragṛhya kṣipram āpetuḥ parasparajighāṃsayā ||
Sañjaya said: Seizing maces, spears, sharp javelins, bhindipālas, and great goads, the warriors of both armies rushed forward in haste, driven by the mutual desire to slay one another. The verse underscores the battlefield’s moral collapse into reciprocal violence, where intent (jighāṃsā—wish to kill) becomes the immediate motive eclipsing restraint and discernment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intention drives action: when the mind is set on mutual killing (parasparajighāṃsā), the battlefield becomes a space where ethical restraint is overwhelmed by reciprocal hostility—an implicit warning about how desire and hatred can eclipse dharmic discernment even among disciplined warriors.
Sañjaya describes both armies surging into close combat, taking up heavy hand-weapons and missiles—maces, spears, javelins, bhindipālas, and large hooks—then rushing forward swiftly to strike each other down.