Shloka 36
अध्याय २९: कर्णस्य शल्यं प्रति शापस्मरणं च युद्धनिश्चयः | Chapter 29: Karṇa recalls curses to Śalya and declares resolve for battle
निष्कैवल्यं तदा युद्ध प्रापुरश्चनरद्धिपा: । हन्यमाना: शरैरार्तास्तदा भीता: प्रदुद्रुवु:,उस समय घोड़े, हाथी और मनुष्योंको ऐसा युद्ध प्राप्त हुआ, जिसमें मृत्यु निश्चित है। उन सब लोगोंपर जब बाणोंकी मार पड़ने लगी, तब वे सब-के-सब आर्त और भयभीत होकर भाग चले
niṣkaivalyaṃ tadā yuddhaṃ prāpuś ca nara-ṛddhipāḥ | hanyamānāḥ śarair ārtās tadā bhītāḥ pradudruvuḥ ||
Sanjaya said: At that time the warriors met with a battle that offered no escape—one in which death was all but certain. As they were struck down by volleys of arrows, they became anguished and terrified, and they fled in disorder.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the brutal moral pressure of war: even mighty rulers, when confronted with inescapable death and pain, can be overwhelmed by fear and abandon resolve—highlighting the fragility of human courage and the ethical weight of choosing battle.
Sanjaya reports that the combat became so lethal that it felt like a death-trap; as arrows rained down and men were wounded and killed, many warriors—desperate and frightened—broke ranks and fled.