Shloka 9
भरतनन्दन! उन दोनों रथोंको एक-दूसरेसे सटा देख सब राजा सिंहनाद करने और प्रचुर साधुवाद देने लगे ।।
bharatanandana! tau rathau parasparaṃ saṃlagnaṃ dṛṣṭvā sarve rājānaḥ siṃhanādaṃ cakruḥ pracuraṃ ca sādhuvādaṃ vyadadhuḥ || dṛṣṭvā ca dvairathaṃ tābhyāṃ tatra yodhāḥ sahasraśaḥ | cakrur bāhusvanāṃś caiva tathā cailāvadhūnanam ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai zuriat Bharata! Melihat dua kereta perang itu rapat berhimpit, para raja melaungkan pekik seperti singa dan mencurahkan pujian yang melimpah. Dan menyaksikan duel kereta perang antara kedua-duanya, ribuan pahlawan yang berdiri di situ menepuk lengan mereka hingga berdentum dan melambai-lambaikan pakaian—bersorak gembira menyambut tontonan pertarungan satu lawan satu di tengah perang besar.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya-war culture in which valor and formal single combat (dvairatha) are publicly celebrated. Ethically, it shows how war can become a spectacle—praised and cheered—revealing the tension between admiration for martial skill and the grim reality of violence.
Two opposing chariot-warriors draw their chariots close and prepare/engage in a duel. Observing this, the assembled kings roar in approval and offer loud praise, while thousands of soldiers clap their arms and wave their garments in excitement.