Shloka 21
Karṇa’s Camp-Council Discourse: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament, Sañjaya’s Counsel, and Karṇa’s Request for Śalya
Book 8, Chapter 22
पराजित्य रणे तं तु कौरव्यं पाण्डुनन्दन: । दुर्योधनबलं दृष्टवा प्रममाथ समनन््तत:,कुरुवंशी दुःशासनको रणभूमिमें पराजित करके पाण्डुनन्दन सहदेवने दुर्योधनकी सेनाको वहाँ उपस्थित देख उसे सब ओरसे मथ डाला
parājitya raṇe taṃ tu kauravyaṃ pāṇḍunandanaḥ | duryodhanabalaṃ dṛṣṭvā pramamātha samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya thưa: “Sau khi đánh bại kẻ Kaurava ấy trong trận chiến, con trai của Pāṇḍu—vừa thấy quân của Duryodhana bày trận tại đó—liền tiến lên nghiền nát họ từ mọi phía.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma: after overcoming an opponent, a warrior must immediately confront the larger threat without hesitation. It also reflects the escalating nature of conflict—individual duels rapidly expand into collective devastation.
Sahadeva (a Pāṇḍava) defeats a Kaurava warrior—identified in the Gītā Press note as Duhśāsana—and then, seeing Duryodhana’s forces present, attacks and routs them from all directions.