Shloka 26
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 20 — Yudhiṣṭhira–Duryodhana Encounter and Escalation of Arms
तेषु व्यायच्छमानेषु कुरुपाज्चालपाण्डुषु । प्रियानसून् रणे त्यक्त्वा योधा जघ्नु: परस्परम्
teṣu vyāyacchamāneṣu kurupāñcālapāṇḍuṣu | priyān asūn raṇe tyaktvā yodhā jaghnuḥ parasparam ||
جب کورو، پانچال اور پانڈو ایک دوسرے پر سخت دباؤ ڈال رہے تھے، تب جنگ کے میدان میں یودھاؤں نے اپنے عزیز جان تک کو تیاگ کر کے باہم ایک دوسرے کو گرا دیا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tragedy of war: once combatants commit to battle, even the most cherished value—life itself—is treated as expendable. It implicitly contrasts personal attachment with the perceived demands of kṣatriya-duty and the overpowering momentum of collective conflict.
Sañjaya describes the battle intensifying: Kurus, Pāñcālas, and Pāṇḍavas are locked in fierce engagement, and the warriors, disregarding their own lives, kill one another in close, mutual combat.