Shloka 253
Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ
Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement
ददर्श द्वैरथं ताभ्यां जातकौतूहलो जन: । सारी सेनाएँ मौन थीं, योद्धा युद्धसे विरत हो गये थे, सब लोग कौतूहलवश उन दोनोंके द्वैरथ युद्धका दृश्य देखने लगे
dadarśa dvairathaṁ tābhyāṁ jātakautūhalo janaḥ |
サञ्जयは言った。「人々は好奇心に駆られ、あの二人の戦車同士の決闘を見守った。全軍は沈黙し、戦士たちは戦いの手をひととき止め、すべての視線がその一騎討ちの光景へと向けられた—大戦のただ中に生じた間奏であり、群の殺戮から、二人の覇者の武勇と運命へと関心が移ったのである。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid collective warfare, attention often gravitates to individual prowess and rivalry; the verse highlights how public fascination can momentarily suspend the wider violence, reminding readers that war is also shaped by reputation, spectacle, and the moral weight placed on personal combat.
Sañjaya reports that the crowd watches a dvairatha—single combat between two chariot-warriors. The surrounding forces become quiet and pause their fighting, focusing on the outcome of this duel.