Shloka 70

कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा

Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying

Devanagari script

ते सेने भृशसंसक्ते दृष्टवान्योन्यं महाहवे

Transliteration

te sene bhṛśa-saṁsakte dṛṣṭavān anyonyaṁ mahāhave

Translation

Sañjaya said: In that great battle, when the two armies were fiercely locked together, they beheld one another face to face—each side fully engaged in the clash, with no room left for hesitation.

Word by Word

• ते: they (those warriors)
• ते: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• सेने: in the two armies
• सेने: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेना
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Dual

• भृशसंसक्ते: closely/violently engaged (locked in combat)
• भृशसंसक्ते: Adhikarana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: भृश-संसक्त
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Dual

• दृष्टवान्: saw
• दृष्टवान्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Perfect (periphrastic perfect / past), 3rd, Singular

• अन्योन्यम्: each other / one another
• अन्योन्यम्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: अन्योन्य
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• महाहवे: in the great battle
• महाहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• the two armies (Pāṇḍava and Kaurava forces)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the inevitability and intensity of armed conflict once forces are fully committed: when engagement becomes ‘bhṛśa-saṁsakta’ (tightly entangled), choices narrow and consequences unfold through action, highlighting the ethical weight of entering war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield moment when the opposing armies are already deeply engaged; in the midst of the ‘mahāhava’ they confront each other directly, signaling a decisive phase of combat.