Shloka 15
धृतराष्ट्रस्य क्रतु-प्रवर्तनम् तथा पाण्डवानां निमन्त्रण-प्रतिवचनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Sacrifice Commences and the Pandavas’ Reply to the Invitation
ते वध्यमाना गन्धर्वा: सूतपुत्रेण धीमता
te vadhyamānā gandharvāḥ sūtaputreṇa dhīmatā | āpatad dhi mahāvegaiś citrasenasya sainikaiḥ ||
ヴァイシャンパーヤナは語った。賢き御者の子カルナによりガンダルヴァたちが討ち伏せられるそばから、チトラセーナの軍勢は凄まじい速さで次々と駆けつけた。攻められれば攻められるほど、彼らは百、千とその場に集まり、瞬く間に大地の至るところがガンダルヴァで満ち、まるで地そのものがガンダルヴァの軍へと変じたかのようであった。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how force invites counter-force: as Karna strikes the Gandharvas, their numbers surge, showing the rapid escalation and widening of violence once a conflict is joined.
Karna is attacking the Gandharvas; in response, Citrasena’s swift troops keep arriving in large numbers, quickly filling the battlefield so densely that the earth appears covered with Gandharvas.