Shloka 2
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
संजय कहते हैं--महाराज! जब महाथनुर्धर कर्ण युद्धकी इच्छासे समरांगणमें डटकर खड़ा हो गया, तब समस्त कौरव बड़े हर्षमें भरकर सब ओर कोलाहल करने लगे ।। ततो दुन्दुभिनिर्घोषैभेरीणां निनदेन च | बाणशब्दैश्व विविधैर्गर्जितिश्व तरस्विनाम्
sañjaya uvāca—mahārāja! yadā mahā-dhanurdharaḥ karṇaḥ yuddhecchayā samarāṅgaṇe dṛḍhaṃ tiṣṭhan samupasthitaḥ, tadā samastāḥ kauravāḥ mahā-harṣeṇa pūritāḥ sarvato kolāhalaṃ cakruḥ. tato dundubhi-nirghoṣaiḥ bherīṇāṃ ninadena ca, bāṇa-śabdaiś ca vividhaiḥ, garjitaiś ca tarasvinām.
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, apabila Karṇa, pemanah agung yang berhasrat akan perang, berdiri teguh di medan laga, seluruh Kaurava yang diliputi kegirangan pun membuat hiruk-pikuk di segenap penjuru. Lalu bergemalah dentuman gendang kettledrum dan paluan genderang perang, bunyi anak panah yang beraneka, serta raungan garang para pahlawan perkasa—kegemparan yang mengisytiharkan bermulanya perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective excitement and martial spectacle can swell around a powerful champion, intensifying conflict. Ethically, it hints at the Mahabharata’s recurring tension: outward valor and noise may mask the deeper question of dharma—whether the cause and means of war are righteous.
Karna, described as a great archer, takes his stand on the battlefield with the intent to fight. Seeing him ready, the Kaurava host erupts in celebration, and the scene fills with the booming of drums, the sounds of arrows, and the roars of warriors—signaling the battle’s escalation.