Shloka 13
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
तेषां प्रववृते युद्ध सुमहललोमहर्षणम् । इरावांस्तु सुसंक़्रुद्धो भ्रातरी देवरूपिणौ
teṣāṃ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ sumahallomaharṣaṇam | irāvāṃs tu susaṃkruddho bhrātarī devarūpiṇau |
Sañjaya sprach: „Zwischen jenen Helden entbrannte ein Kampf von äußerster Heftigkeit, der das Haar zu Berge stehen ließ. Irāvān, von Zorn entflammt, verwundete die beiden Brüder Vindā und Anuvindā — schön wie Götter — sogleich mit scharfen Pfeilen, deren Schäfte knotig gegliedert waren. Doch auch die Brüder, kundig in wunderbaren Kampfkünsten auf dem Schlachtfeld, durchbohrten Irāvān zum Gegenschlag.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the kṣatriya ethos of facing battle with courage and accepting immediate consequences: aggression meets resistance, and prowess is answered by prowess, highlighting reciprocity and accountability in war.
A fierce duel erupts: Irāvān, enraged, wounds the godlike brothers Vindā and Anuvindā with sharp arrows; they, adept fighters, retaliate by piercing Irāvān on the battlefield.