Shloka 11
कर्णार्जुनसमागमः — The Karṇa–Arjuna Confrontation
Cosmic Spectatorship and Vows
द्रौणेरपहतान् संख्ये ददृशु: स च तां तथा । प्रावर्तयन्महाघोरां नदीं परवहां तदा
drauṇer apahatān saṅkhye dadṛśuḥ sa ca tāṃ tathā | prāvartayan mahāghorāṃ nadīṃ paravahāṃ tadā ||
போரில் துரோணபுத்திரனால் தாக்கப்பட்டு வீழ்ந்தவர்களை அவர்கள் கண்டனர்; அவனும் அவர்களை அந்நிலையிலே கண்டு, அப்பொழுதே பகைவரை அடித்துச் செல்லும் மிகக் கொடூர நதிபோன்ற ஓட்டத்தை எழுப்பினான்.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral peril of unrestrained martial fury: when vengeance and rage dominate, a warrior’s action becomes like a terrifying flood that indiscriminately sweeps away lives. It invites reflection on how power in war must be governed by dharma, or it turns into a force of devastation.
Sañjaya reports that many fighters have been felled in battle by Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman). Seeing the carnage, he intensifies his assault, described metaphorically as unleashing a dreadful ‘river’ that carries away the enemy—an image for a surging, unstoppable onslaught.