Shloka 12
कर्णस्य एकाकि-प्रहारः तथा पाण्डव-महारथ-परिवेष्टनम् | Karṇa’s concentrated assault and the Pāṇḍava encirclement
स संनिपातो रथयूथपानां बभूव राजन्नतिभीमरूप: । जनक्षय: कालयुगान्तकल्प: प्रावर्तताग्रे कुरुसूजजयानाम्
sa saṁnipāto rathayūthapānāṁ babhūva rājann atibhīmarūpaḥ | janakṣayaḥ kālayugāntakalpaḥ prāvartatāgre kurusṛñjayānām ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai Raja, pertembungan besar para ketua skuadron kereta perang itu menjadi amat menggerunkan. Di barisan hadapan Kurus dan Sṛñjaya, pembunuhan manusia pun bermula—laksana kebinasaan pada penghujung suatu zaman.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: once collective violence is set in motion, it rapidly becomes impersonal and apocalyptic, driven by kāla (Time/Death). It warns that power and command (the chariot-leaders) do not prevent catastrophe; they can accelerate it when dharma is eclipsed.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the commanders of chariot-squadrons have collided in a fierce engagement. At the battle’s forefront, among the Kurus and the Sṛñjayas, a massive slaughter begins, compared to the destruction at the end of an age.