Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
तत्र युद्ध महच्चासीत् तव पुत्रस्य पाण्डवै: । न च तत् तादृशं दृष्टं नैव चापि परिश्रुतम्
tatra yuddhaṃ mahac cāsīt tava putrasya pāṇḍavaiḥ | na ca tat tādṛśaṃ dṛṣṭaṃ naiva cāpi pariśrutam ||
सञ्जय उवाच—तत्र तव पुत्रस्य पाण्डवैः सह महद्युद्धमभवत्। तादृशं युद्धं न मया कदाचिद्दृष्टं न चापि परिश्रुतम्॥
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the extraordinary and unprecedented scale of the conflict and frames the war as something beyond ordinary human experience—highlighting how adharma-driven rivalry culminates in catastrophic, incomparable violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a massive battle occurred between Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son and the Pāṇḍavas, emphasizing that he has neither seen nor even heard of anything comparable.