Shloka 32
शिखण्डिनं च पुत्रास्ते पाण्डवं च धनंजयम् । राजशि: समरे पार्थमभिपेतुर्जिघांसव:,शिखण्डी तथा पाण्डुपुत्र अर्जुनपर आपके पुत्रोंने समस्त राजाओंको साथ लेकर युद्धस्थलमें आक्रमण किया। वे उन दोनोंको मार डालना चाहते थे
śikhaṇḍinaṃ ca putrās te pāṇḍavaṃ ca dhanañjayam | rājarṣiḥ samare pārtham abhipetur jighāṃsavaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Putera-putera tuanku, dengan niat membunuh, mara dalam pertempuran menentang Śikhaṇḍin dan menentang Pāṇḍava Dhanañjaya (Arjuna). Bersama mereka, para raja yang berhimpun turut menekan ke arah Pārtha di medan perang—didorong oleh tekad untuk menumpaskan kedua-duanya. Rangkap ini menonjolkan ketegangan moral perang: permusuhan peribadi dan keperluan strategi mengeras menjadi kehendak kolektif untuk memusnahkan, walaupun sasarannya termasuk tokoh-tokoh yang penting dalam persoalan dharma dan tatacara perang yang benar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, intent (jighāṃsā—desire to kill) can dominate decision-making, drawing even many kings into a single destructive purpose. It invites reflection on dharma in conflict: whether strategic aims and inherited enmities justify collective violence against key opponents, especially when those opponents are tied to complex moral claims (such as Śikhaṇḍin’s role and Arjuna’s centrality).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava princes, together with allied kings, surge forward on the battlefield to attack Śikhaṇḍin and Arjuna (Dhanañjaya/Pārtha), specifically with the intention of killing them.