Shloka 4
Bhīṣma–Arjuna Strategic Engagement at Virāṭa’s Frontier (भीष्मार्जुनयुद्धम्)
महांक्षट्चटाशब्दो योधयोह्न्यमानयो: । दह्यतामिव वेणूनामासीत् परपुरंजय,शत्रुविजयी जनमेजय! जब दोनों योद्धा एक दूसरेपर आघात करते, तब जलते हुए बाँसोंके चटखनेकी भाँति चटचट शब्द होने लगता था
mahāṁkṣaṭcaṭāśabdo yodhayor hanyamānayoḥ | dahyatām iva veṇūnām āsīt parapuraṁjaya, śatravijayī janamejaya ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: O Janamejaya, Bezwinger feindlicher Städte! Wenn jene beiden Krieger einander trafen, erhob sich ein lautes Knistern, wie das scharfe Knacken von Bambus, der im Feuer brennt. Der Zusammenprall der Waffen hallte mit wilder Heftigkeit wider und kündete von der unerbittlichen Wucht der Schlacht.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily heightens the ethical-narrative mood of kṣatriya combat: battle is portrayed as intense and consuming, where the clash of weapons is likened to burning bamboo—suggesting both ferocity and the destructive momentum that warfare unleashes.
Two warriors are engaged in close combat, striking each other repeatedly. The narrator describes the sound of their blows as a sharp crackling, comparable to the snapping noise of bamboos burning, while addressing King Janamejaya with honorific epithets.