Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
ततो युद्ध सुदुर्धर्ष व्याकुलं समपद्यत । शूराणां समरे तत्र समासाद्येतरेतरम्,कुछ ही देरमें उस रणक्षेत्रके भीतर शूरवीर सैनिकोंका एक-दूसरेसे भिड़कर अत्यन्त दुर्धर्ष एवं घमासान युद्ध होने लगा
tato yuddhaṃ sudurdharṣaṃ vyākulaṃ samapadyata | śūrāṇāṃ samare tatra samāsādyetaretaram ||
त्यानंतर त्या रणभूमीवर शूरवीर एकमेकांस भिडले; आणि क्षणातच ते युद्ध अत्यंत दुर्धर्ष, व्याकुळ व घोर घमासान झाले।
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the inexorable escalation of war: once opposing heroes mutually engage, combat tends to become overwhelming and chaotic. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a realm where intention and duty (especially kṣatriya-dharma) are tested amid confusion and intensity.
Sañjaya reports that the warriors on the battlefield have closed ranks and begun fighting directly with one another, resulting in a fierce, hard-to-withstand, tumultuous clash—a full melee rather than orderly engagement.