Shloka 2
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! जब महाथनुर्धर कर्ण युद्धकी इच्छासे समरांगणमें डटकर खड़ा हो गया, तब समस्त कौरव बड़े हर्षमें भरकर सब ओर कोलाहल करने लगे ।।
sañjaya uvāca—mahārāja! yadā mahā-dhanurdharaḥ karṇaḥ yuddhecchayā samarāṅgaṇe dṛḍhaṃ tiṣṭhan samupasthitaḥ, tadā samastāḥ kauravāḥ mahā-harṣeṇa pūritāḥ sarvato kolāhalaṃ cakruḥ. tato dundubhi-nirghoṣaiḥ bherīṇāṃ ninadena ca, bāṇa-śabdaiś ca vividhaiḥ, garjitaiś ca tarasvinām.
サンジャヤは言った。「大王よ、戦いを望む大弓のカルナが戦場に堅く立つや、クル族の軍勢は歓喜に満ちて四方にどよめいた。すると、ドゥンドゥビの轟きと戦鼓の鳴り響き、矢のさまざまな音、そして猛き勇士たちの凄まじい咆哮が起こった。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective excitement and martial spectacle can swell around a powerful champion, intensifying conflict. Ethically, it hints at the Mahabharata’s recurring tension: outward valor and noise may mask the deeper question of dharma—whether the cause and means of war are righteous.
Karna, described as a great archer, takes his stand on the battlefield with the intent to fight. Seeing him ready, the Kaurava host erupts in celebration, and the scene fills with the booming of drums, the sounds of arrows, and the roars of warriors—signaling the battle’s escalation.