Shloka 24
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
महद् युद्ध तयोरासीद् घोररूपं भयानकम् । यथा देवासुरे युद्धे शम्बरामरराजयो:,पूर्वकालमें देवासुर-संग्रामके अवसरपर शम्बरासुर और इन्द्रमें जैसा युद्ध हुआ था, वैसा ही घोर भयानक एवं महान् युद्ध उन दोनोंमें भी हुआ
mahad yuddhaṃ tayor āsīd ghorarūpaṃ bhayānakam | yathā devāsure yuddhe śambarāmararājayoḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Zwischen jenen beiden erhob sich eine gewaltige Schlacht, schrecklich an Gestalt und furchtbar anzusehen. Sie glich dem uralten Kampf von Göttern und Asuras, als Śambara, der Asura, mit Indra, dem König der Unsterblichen, rang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a Deva–Asura war simile to show how human conflict can swell into a destructive, almost cosmic force. Ethically, it warns that when anger and rivalry dominate, battle becomes ‘ghora’ (terrible), testing whether warriors can still act within dharma rather than being consumed by fear and fury.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that an intense duel has erupted between two principal fighters (unnamed in this single verse). He emphasizes its severity by comparing it to the legendary fight between Śambara the Asura and Indra during an ancient Deva–Asura conflict.