Shloka 196

Nakula–Śakuni Duel and the Night Battle; Śikhaṇḍin–Kṛpa Engagement (नकुल-शकुनियुद्धं तथा रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)

Devanagari script

जिघांसू परमक्रुद्धावभिजध्नतुराहवे । इस प्रकार एक-दूसरेको मार डालनेकी इच्छावाले वे दोनों नरश्रेष्ठ वीर परस्पर वाग्बाणोंका प्रहार करते हुए उस युद्धस्थलमें अत्यन्त कुपित हो बाणोंद्वारा आघात करने लगे

Transliteration

jighāṃsū paramakruddhāv abhijaghnatur āhave | itaretaraṃ mārayitum icchantau tau dvau naraśreṣṭhau vākbāṇān praharantaḥ tasmin yuddhasthale 'tyantaṃ kupitau bāṇair āghātam akurutām ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Burning with the desire to kill and inflamed with supreme wrath, the two foremost of men struck at each other in the battle. Hurling “word-arrows” in mutual taunts and then wounding with real arrows, they fought on that field in a fury.

Word by Word

• जिघांसू: wishing to kill
• जिघांसू: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: हन् (धातु) → जिघांसु (इच्छार्थक कृदन्त)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• परमक्रुद्धौ: extremely enraged (two)
• परमक्रुद्धौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम + क्रुद्ध (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, प्रथमा, द्विवचन

• अभि: towards, against
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अभि

• जघ्नतुः: they two struck/slew
• Type: Verb
• Root: हन् (धातु) → जघ्नतुः
• Form: लिट् (परोक्षभूत/परफेक्ट), प्रथम, द्विवचन, परस्मैपद

• आहवे: in battle
• आहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: आहव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुं, सप्तमी, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• two naraśreṣṭhas (unnamed warriors)
• battlefield (yuddhasthala)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger in war escalates harm: even speech becomes a weapon (vākbāṇa), and fury pushes combatants from rivalry into a single-minded intent to kill—an ethical warning about krodha (wrath) overpowering discernment.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a fierce duel: two great warriors, mutually intent on killing, first exchange cutting taunts and then strike each other with arrows on the battlefield, fighting in extreme rage.