Shloka 13
भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः
The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat
तौ तत्र समरे युक्तौ कृतप्रतिकृतेषिणौ । अन्योन्यं विशिखैस्ती६णैर्जघ्नतु: पुरुषर्षभौ
tau tatra samare yuktau kṛta-pratikṛteṣiṇau | anyonyaṁ viśikhaiḥ tīkṣṇair jaghnatuḥ puruṣarṣabhau ||
Sanjaya said: There, in the thick of battle, those two bull-like heroes were fully engaged, each intent on countering and repaying the other’s deeds. With sharp arrows they struck one another again and again—warriors matched in resolve, locked in a contest of retaliation and prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the cycle of retaliation in war: two great warriors, driven by the urge to counter and repay, intensify violence through mutual striking. Ethically, it underscores how ‘requital’ (pratikṛta) can become a governing motive in conflict, sustaining escalation even among the noble.
Sañjaya reports that two eminent fighters are locked in direct combat on the battlefield, each aiming to neutralize the other’s attacks and answer them in kind, wounding one another with sharp arrows.