Shloka 45
भीष्मस्य मध्याह्नयुद्धवर्णनम् / Mid-day Battle Description: Bhīṣma Engaged by the Pāñcālas
अन्योन्यं हि रणे शूरा: केशेष्वाक्षिप्प मानिन: । नखदन्तैरयुध्यन्त मुष्टिभिजनुभिस्तथा
anyonyam hi raṇe śūrāḥ keśeṣv ākṣipya māninaḥ | nakhadantair ayudhyanta muṣṭibhī janubhis tathā ||
قال سانجيا: في تلك المعركة تشابك الأبطال المتكبرون بعضهم مع بعض، يمسكون بشعور بعضهم، وقاتلوا بلا سلاح—يضربون بالأظفار والأسنان، وبالقبضات وبالركب كذلك.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pride (māna) and rage can erode the norms of righteous combat, pushing warriors from weapon-based, rule-governed fighting into uncontrolled physical brutality—serving as an ethical warning about the degradation of conduct in war.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that on the battlefield warriors closed in on each other, grabbed hair, and fought at close quarters using nails, teeth, fists, and knees—indicating intense, chaotic hand-to-hand combat.