Shloka 31
समन्तपञ्चक-आख्यानम् तथा अक्षौहिणी-प्रमाणनिर्णयः
Samantapañcaka Narrative and the Measure of an Akṣauhiṇī
अहनी युयुधे द्वे तु कर्ण: परबलार्दन: । शल्यो<र्धदिवसं चैव गदायुद्धमत: परम्,शत्रुसेनाको पीड़ित करनेवाले वीरवर कर्णने दो दिन युद्ध किया और शल्यने आधे दिनतक। इसके पश्चात् (दुर्योधन और भीमसेनका परस्पर) गदायुद्ध आधे दिनतक होता रहा
ahanī yuyudhe dve tu karṇaḥ parabala-ardanaḥ | śalyo 'rdha-divasaṃ caiva gadā-yuddham ataḥ param ||
The mighty Karṇa, a crusher of the enemy’s strength, fought for two full days; Śalya fought for half a day. Thereafter, the supreme contest of clubs took place—Duryodhana and Bhīmasena engaging one another—continuing for half a day. The passage underscores the relentless escalation of warfare and the grim endurance of warriors, where prowess and persistence dominate even as the moral weight of violence accumulates.
राम उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and endurance of martial duty, while implicitly pointing to the moral gravity of prolonged violence: heroic prowess can be celebrated, yet the narrative context reminds the reader that such contests arise from adharma-driven rivalry and culminate in devastating outcomes.
It summarizes successive phases of fighting: Karṇa battles for two days, Śalya for half a day, and then the climactic mace-fight occurs between Duryodhana and Bhīmasena, lasting half a day.