Shloka 343
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
हरीन्द्रयोरिव मुहु: परस्परवधैषिणो: । फिर तो एक-दूसरेके वधकी इच्छावाले दो सिंहोंके समान कर्ण और भीमसेनमें वहाँ अत्यन्त भयंकर युद्ध होने लगा
harīndrayor iva muhuḥ parasparavadha-eṣiṇoḥ | karṇa-bhīmasenayoḥ tatra atyanta-bhayaṅkaraṃ yuddhaṃ babhūva ||
Sañjaya said: Again and again, like two lordly lions each seeking the other’s death, Karṇa and Bhīmasena engaged there in a battle of the most dreadful intensity—driven not by restraint or reconciliation, but by the grim resolve to slay.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked enmity and the single-minded desire to kill can turn warfare into a terrifying escalation. Even within a kshatriya context, it implicitly contrasts valor with the peril of being consumed by mutual hatred.
Sañjaya describes Karṇa and Bhīmasena clashing in an exceptionally fierce duel, comparing them to two powerful lions repeatedly attacking each other, each intent on the other’s death.