Shloka 5
बभूव युद्ध कुरुपाण्डवानां यथा सुराणामसुरै: सहाभवत् | तथा प्रवृत्ते तुमुले सुदारुणे धनंजयस्याधिरयथेश्ष॒ सायकै:
babhūva yuddhaṁ kurupāṇḍavānāṁ yathā surāṇām asuraiḥ saha abhavat | tathā pravṛtte tumule sudāruṇe dhanañjayasya adhirathaiś ca sāyakaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Pertempuran antara kaum Kuru dan Pāṇḍava menjadi seperti perang purba para dewa melawan asura. Ketika pertempuran yang hiruk-pikuk dan amat mengerikan itu terus memuncak, Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) dan Adhiratha (Karna) saling menyerang dengan hujan anak panah bertubi-tubi, masing-masing berusaha mengatasi yang lain dalam gelanggang yang menguji keberanian dan keteguhan di tengah tuntutan perang yang memusnahkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames human warfare within a cosmic moral imagination: the Kurus and Pāṇḍavas clash with a ferocity likened to devas and asuras. It highlights how war magnifies resolve and rivalry, while implicitly warning that even righteous causes unfold amid terrifying violence and moral strain.
Sañjaya describes the battle intensifying into a chaotic, dreadful engagement. In this surge of combat, Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) and Karna (Adhiratha) confront each other directly, exchanging showers of arrows.