Shloka 51
गौरुडव्यूह-रचना तथा अर्धचन्द्र-प्रत्यव्यूह
Garuḍa Array and the Ardhacandra Counter-Formation
अयुध्येतां महात्मानौ यथोभौ वृत्रवासवौ । अन्योन्यं तु महाराज परस्परवधैषिणौ,महाराज! वे दोनों महाबली महामना वीर बाणोंसे उद्दीप्त हो एक-दूसरेको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे समीप आकर वृत्रासुर और इन्द्रके समान युद्ध करने लगे
ayudhyetāṁ mahātmānau yathobhau vṛtrāvāsavau | anyonyaṁ tu mahārāja parasparavadhaiṣiṇau ||
Sañjaya said: “O great king, those two high-souled heroes fought like Vṛtra and Vāsava (Indra)—closing upon one another with the intent to slay, each seeking the other’s death.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the tragic intensity of kṣatriya warfare: even ‘great-souled’ warriors can become mutually death-seeking when bound by battle-duty and rivalry, highlighting how dharma in war can coexist with destructive intent.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two principal warriors have closed in and are fighting fiercely, compared to the mythic clash of Indra and Vṛtra, emphasizing a duel of near-cosmic ferocity.