तस्मिन् प्रथमसंमर्दे भीमज्यातलनिस्वने ॥
तावकानां परेषां च नासीत् कश् चित् पराङ्मुखः ॥
लाघवं द्रोणशिष्याणाम् अपश्यं भरतर्षभ ॥
निमित्तवेधिनां राजञ् शरान् उत्सृजतां भृशम् ॥
नोपशाम्यति निर्घोषो धनुषां कूजतां तथा ॥
विनिश्चेरुः शरा दीप्ता ज्योतींषीव नभस्तलात् ॥
सर्वे त्व् अन्ये महीपालाः प्रेक्षका इव भारत ॥
ददृशुर् दर्शनीयं तं भीमं ज्ञातिसमागमम् ॥
ततस् ते जातसंरम्भाः परस्परकृतागसः ॥
अन्योन्यस्पर्धया राजन् व्यायच्छन्त महारथाः ॥
कुरुपाण्डवसेने ते हस्त्यश्वरथसंकुले ॥
शुशुभाते रणे ऽतीव पटे चित्रगते इव ॥
tasmin prathamasaṃmarde bhīmajyātalanisvane ||
tāvakānāṃ pareṣāṃ ca nāsīt kaś cit parāṅmukhaḥ ||
lāghavaṃ droṇaśiṣyāṇām apaśyaṃ bharatarṣabha ||
nimittavedhināṃ rājañ śarān utsṛjatāṃ bhṛśam ||
nopaśāmyati nirghoṣo dhanuṣāṃ kūjatāṃ tathā ||
viniśceruḥ śarā dīptā jyotīṃṣīva nabhastalāt ||
sarve tv anye mahīpālāḥ prekṣakā iva bhārata ||
dadṛśur darśanīyaṃ taṃ bhīmaṃ jñātisamāgamam ||
tatas te jātasaṃrambhāḥ parasparakṛtāgasaḥ ||
anyonyaspardhayā rājan vyāyacchanta mahārathāḥ ||
kurupāṇḍavasene te hastyaśvarathasaṃkule ||
śuśubhāte raṇe 'tīva paṭe citragate iva ||
In that first clash, under the twang of Bhima's bowstring, none among your warriors or among the enemy's turned away. O bull of the Bharatas, I saw the swiftness of Drona's pupils, striking their marks and releasing arrows without pause, O king. The din of the twanging, moaning bows never ceased, and blazing arrows shot forth like lights from the vault of heaven. All the other kings, O Bharata, watched this terrible and spectacular gathering of kinsmen as if they were mere spectators. Then, having grown furious, wronging one another, and rivaling each other, the great charioteers strained every effort. The armies of Kuru and Pandava, crowded with elephants, horses, and chariots, shone exceedingly in that battle, as though painted upon a canvas."
35b7fbc9abf9 · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:12:34 PM UTC
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Sanjaya shows both the horror and the grandeur of the scene at once. The battle of kinsmen is beautiful as a painting and terrible as the fall of dharma into blood; this double vision keeps the reader from any simple romanticizing of war.