Shloka 723
कर्ण च पार्थ च विलोकयन्तः खस्था महीस्थाश्न जनावतस्थु: । परस्पर जूझते हुए उन दोनों शत्रुनाशक एवं प्रधान शूरवीर कर्ण और अर्जुनको देखकर उन्हींकी ओर दृष्टि लगाये आकाश और भूतलमें ठहरे हुए सभी दर्शक अपनी-अपनी जगह स्थिरभावसे खड़े रहे
karṇaṃ ca pārthaṃ ca vilokayantāḥ khasthā mahīsthāś ca janāvatastḥuḥ | parasparaṃ yudhyamānau tau śatru-nāśakau pradhānau śūra-vīrau karṇa-arjunau dṛṣṭvā te sarve sva-sva-sthāne sthira-bhāvena tasthuḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Ao verem Karṇa e Pārtha (Arjuna) travados em combate, todos os espectadores — os que estavam no céu e os que estavam na terra — fixaram o olhar naqueles dois heróis supremos, destruidores de inimigos. Oprimidos pela gravidade do duelo, cada qual permaneceu imóvel em seu lugar, como se o próprio mundo parasse para testemunhar o choque entre a proeza e o destino.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral and existential weight of a dharma-war: when two foremost warriors meet, even the wider world becomes a witness. It suggests that great actions are not merely personal feats but events with ethical consequence, observed and judged by society and, symbolically, by the cosmos.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield atmosphere as Karṇa and Arjuna fight each other. All observers—both celestial and earthly—stare fixedly at the duel and stand still in their respective places, absorbed by the intensity and significance of the confrontation.