Shloka 1
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — दुर्योधनस्य ह्रदप्रवेशः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue: Duryodhana’s Entry into the Lake
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्याभारत शल्यपर्वमें सुशर्माका वधविषयक सत्ताईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ ॥/ २७ ॥ ऑपन- राज छा अकाल अष्टाविशोश् ध्याय: सहदेवके द्वारा उलूक और शकुनिका वध एवं बची हुई सेनासहित दुर्योधनका पलायन संजय उवाच तस्समिन् प्रवृत्ते संग्रामे गजवाजिनरक्षये | शकुनि: सौबलो राजन् सहदेवं समभ्ययात्,संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! हाथी-घोड़ों और मनुष्यों-का संहार करनेवाले उस युद्धका आरम्भ होनेपर सुबलपुत्र शकुनिने सहदेवपर धावा किया
sañjaya uvāca | tasmin pravṛtte saṅgrāme gajavājinara-kṣaye | śakuniḥ saubalo rājan sahadevaṃ samabhyayāt ||
Sanjaya said: “O King, when that battle—bringing destruction upon elephants, horses, and men—had begun in full force, Shakuni, the son of Subala, charged straight at Sahadeva.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical weight of war by describing it as a ‘kṣaya’—a consuming destruction of beings and resources (men, horses, elephants). Even before individual heroics are detailed, the narrative frames battle as loss, reminding the listener that adharma-driven conflict inevitably culminates in widespread ruin.
As the fighting intensifies, Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Shakuni (son of Subala) advances to engage Sahadeva directly, setting up a focused duel within the larger slaughter of the battlefield.