Shloka 70
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
त्वदीयास्तु तदा योधा: पाण्डवेयाश्व॒ भारत | अन्योन्यं समरे जघ्नुस्तयोस्तत्र पराक्रमे
tvadīyās tu tadā yodhāḥ pāṇḍaveyāś ca bhārata | anyonyaṃ samare jaghnus tayos tatra parākrame ||
Sanjaya berkata: Wahai Bharata, pada waktu itu, ketika dua wira tersebut sedang memperlihatkan keperkasaan mereka di sana, para pahlawan di pihak tuanku dan juga putera-putera Pāṇḍu saling menewaskan di medan perang—masing-masing terikat pada kesetiaannya, namun semuanya terperangkap dalam logik perang yang membakar dan melahap.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the impersonal momentum of war: even as great champions exhibit individual heroism, the wider armies—bound by duty to their respective sides—mutually destroy one another. It highlights how allegiance and kṣatriya-duty can propel collective violence beyond any single duel.
Sanjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at the same time as two principal heroes are demonstrating their prowess (in a prominent encounter), the surrounding Kaurava and Pāṇḍava troops are simultaneously engaged in mutual killing across the battlefield.