Shloka 14
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
विव्याध निशितैस्तूर्ण शरै: संनतपर्वभि: | तावेन॑ प्रत्यविध्येतां समरे चित्रयोधिनौ
vivyādha niśitais tūrṇaṃ śaraiḥ saṃnata-parvabhiḥ | tāv enaṃ pratyavidhyetāṃ samare citra-yodhinau ||
Sañjaya sprach: Irāvān durchbohrte die beiden sogleich mit scharfen Pfeilen, deren Knoten gebogen waren. Da schlugen jene zwei—Kämpfer, berühmt für ihre vielfältige und kunstvolle Kriegskunst—im Getümmel zurück und durchbohrten Irāvān ihrerseits. Das Aufeinandertreffen dieser Helden wurde von glühender Spannung erfüllt: Wunde um Wunde, im unerbittlichen Takt des Krieges.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of immediate counter-action: injury is answered with a measured, skillful response. It underscores martial discipline and reciprocity in combat rather than moral approval of violence itself.
Irāvān rapidly wounds the two brothers Vind(a) and Anuvinda with sharp, bent-jointed arrows. Both brothers—renowned for their striking, varied fighting—then retaliate and pierce Irāvān in the ongoing battle.