Shloka 22
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
तथैव तावका राजन् समेत्यान्योन्यमाहवे । परस्परवध॑ घोर चक्रुस्ते हपसादिन:,राजन! इसी प्रकार आपके और पाण्डवोंके घुड़-सवार युद्धमें एक-दूसरेसे भिड़कर आपसमें भयंकर मार-काट करते थे
tathaiva tāvakā rājan sametyānyonyam āhave | parasparavadhaṁ ghoraṁ cakrus te hayasādinaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Demikianlah, wahai Raja, para pahlawan tuanku dan orang-orang Pāṇḍava bertemu sesama mereka di medan laga; para penunggang kuda di antara mereka melakukan pembunuhan saling-membunuh yang mengerikan, menjatuhkan satu sama lain tanpa belas.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reciprocity of war: once armies collide, violence becomes mutual and escalating. It implicitly highlights the ethical cost of conflict—how collective enmity turns into indiscriminate slaughter, even among comparable warriors like cavalry on both sides.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava and Pāṇḍava horsemen met head-on in the battle and engaged in fierce, mutual killing, describing the intensity of the cavalry clash.