Shloka 11
अर्जुनस्य दिग्विजयारम्भः — Arjuna Initiates the Northern Campaign and Secures Bhagadattta’s Tribute
करग्रहणपूर्व तु कृत्वा पादाभिवन्दनम् | कक्षै: कक्षां विधुन्वानावास्फोर्ट तत्र चक्रतु:ः
karagrahaṇapūrvaṁ tu kṛtvā pādābhivandanam | kakṣaiḥ kakṣāṁ vidhunvānāv āsphorṭa tatra cakratuḥ ||
ابتدآ بتشابك الأيدي، ثم أدّى كلٌّ منهما السجودَ الاحترامي عند قدمي صاحبه. وبعد ذلك هزّا أعالي أذرعهما حتى ارتجّت خيوطُ أساور العضد، فأخذ البطلان يصفعان أذرعهما ويطآن الأرض تحدّياً في الموضع نفسه—مظهراً خارجياً لعزمٍ قتالي، مؤطَّراً بآداب الاحترام المتبادل قبل المنازلة.
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in confrontation, dharma is expressed through restraint and respect: the warriors begin with a handshake and salutation at the feet, showing that personal honor and social order should frame conflict, not be discarded by it.
Two warriors formally acknowledge each other—first by clasping hands, then by paying respect at the feet—and immediately afterward adopt the conventional physical gestures of a duel (shaking the arms so the armlet cords move, slapping the arms/stamping) to signal readiness and challenge.