Shloka 72
Chapter 23: Śakuni Reports, Kaurava Advance, and Arjuna’s Penetration of the Host
अन्योन्यं प्रतिसंरब्धा: समासाद्य परस्परम् । अहं पूर्वमहं पूर्वमिति न्यघ्नन् सहस्रश:
anyonyam pratisaṃrabdhāḥ samāsādya parasparam | ahaṃ pūrvam ahaṃ pūrvam iti nyaghnan sahasraśaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：双方怒火相向，迎面逼近，便开始成千上万地斩杀，人人高喊：“我先——不，我先！”在争胜的盲目里，战斗化作争夺先后之竞赛，愤怒与自我驱使屠戮越过一切节制。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how egoistic rivalry—insisting on being “first”—can eclipse discernment and restraint, turning conflict into indiscriminate destruction. It implicitly warns that anger and pride on the battlefield (and in life) accelerate harm and weaken dharmic judgment.
Sañjaya describes the combat intensifying: warriors from both armies collide directly, enraged, and in the rush to outdo one another they kill in vast numbers, shouting that they will strike first.