Shloka 16
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
संजय उवाच शृणु राजन् यथावृत्तं संग्रामं कर्णभीमयो: । परस्परवधप्रेप्स्वोर्वनकुज्जरयोरिव,संजयने कहा--राजन्! कर्ण और भीमसेनके युद्धका यथावत् वृत्तान्त सुनिये। वे दोनों जंगली हाथियोंके समान एक-दूसरेके वधके लिये उत्सुक थे
sañjaya uvāca śṛṇu rājan yathāvṛttaṃ saṅgrāmaṃ karṇabhīmayōḥ | parasparavadhaprepsvor vanakuñjarayor iva ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, dengarlah pertempuran antara Karṇa dan Bhīma sebagaimana ia benar-benar berlaku. Seperti dua gajah liar di rimba, masing-masing bernafsu menumpahkan nyawa yang satu lagi.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense enmity in war can reduce combatants to a single-minded urge to kill, likened to wild elephants. Implicitly, it warns that such fixation can overshadow restraint and the wider demands of dharma, even when one is acting within a warrior’s battlefield role.
Sañjaya begins reporting to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra the detailed account of the duel-like battle between Karṇa and Bhīma, emphasizing that both fighters are fiercely eager to slay one another.