Shloka 323
विरथावसियुद्धाय समेयातां महारणे । दोनोंने दोनोंके घोड़े मारकर धनुष काट दिये तथा उस महासमरमें दोनों ही रथहीन होकर खड्ग-युद्धके लिये एक-दूसरेके सामने आ गये
virathāv asi-yuddhāya sameyātāṃ mahāraṇe | dvonone dvonoke ghoṛe mārakar dhanuṣ kāṭa diye tathā us mahāsamaram̐eṃ dvon hī rathahīna hokar khaḍga-yuddha ke liye eka-dūsare ke sāmane ā gaye
Sañjaya said: In that great battle, the two warriors closed in for sword-fighting. Each struck down the other’s horses and cut the other’s bow; and thus both were left without chariots and came face to face, ready for combat with swords.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness in battle: when ranged weapons and chariots are lost, the fighters do not withdraw but continue within the accepted modes of combat, shifting to close-quarters sword-fighting. It underscores resolve and the ethic of meeting one’s opponent directly even under disadvantage.
Sañjaya reports that two combatants neutralize each other’s mobility and archery—killing the horses and cutting the bows—so both become chariotless (viratha) and then advance to fight face to face with swords in the midst of the great battle.