Shloka 11
अर्जुनस्य दिग्विजयारम्भः — Arjuna Initiates the Northern Campaign and Secures Bhagadattta’s Tribute
करग्रहणपूर्व तु कृत्वा पादाभिवन्दनम् | कक्षै: कक्षां विधुन्वानावास्फोर्ट तत्र चक्रतु:ः,पहले उन दोनोंने हाथ मिलाये। फिर एक-दूसरेके चरणोंका अभिवन्दन किया। तत्पश्चात् भुजाओंके मूलभागके संचालनसे वहाँ बँधे हुए बाजूबंदकी डोरको हिलाते हुए वे दोनों वीर वहीं ताल ठोंकने लगे
karagrahaṇapūrvaṁ tu kṛtvā pādābhivandanam | kakṣaiḥ kakṣāṁ vidhunvānāv āsphorṭa tatra cakratuḥ ||
After first clasping hands, they paid obeisance at one another’s feet. Then, shaking their upper arms so that the cords of their armlets quivered, the two heroes began to slap their arms and stamp in challenge on the spot—an outward display of martial resolve, framed by the etiquette of mutual respect before contest.
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.