Shloka 1
कर्णवधार्थं धनञ्जयस्य प्रतिज्ञा — Arjuna’s resolve for Karṇa’s defeat
/ अपन क्राा बा अर: त्रिपञज्चाशत्तमो<्ध्याय: अर्जुनद्वारा दस हजार संशप्तक योद्धाओं और उनकी सेनाका संहार संजय उवाच वर्तमाने तथा युद्धे क्षत्रियाणां निमज्जने । गाण्डीवस्य महाघोष: श्रूयते युधि मारिष
sañjaya uvāca | vartamāne tathā yuddhe kṣatriyāṇāṁ nimajjane | gāṇḍīvasya mahāghoṣaḥ śrūyate yudhi māriṣa ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai yang mulia! Ketika pertempuran yang mengerikan—yang menelan kebinasaan para kṣatriya—sedang mengamuk, pada sisi lain medan perang terdengarlah dentingan yang dahsyat, gema besar busur Gāṇḍīva.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames war as an overwhelming ‘sinking’ of the warrior class, yet highlights disciplined prowess through the emblematic sound of Arjuna’s bow. It implicitly contrasts mass destruction with the focused agency of a dharma-bound fighter, reminding the listener that actions in war carry grave ethical weight even when performed as duty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that as the fierce battle continues and kṣatriyas are being cut down in great numbers, a powerful sound is heard—the loud twang/roar of Gāṇḍīva—signaling Arjuna’s active presence and the intensity of his combat.