Shloka 28
द्रोणपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः (Droṇa Parva, Chapter 15): युधिष्ठिर-रक्षा तथा अर्जुनस्य शरवृष्टिः
अथाप्लुत्य पदान्यष्टौ संनिपत्य गजाविव । सहसा लोहदण्डाभ्यामन्योन्यमभिजष्नतु:,तत्पश्चात् आठ पग चलकर दोनों दो हाथियोंकी भाँति परस्पर टूट पड़े और सहसा लोहेके डंडोंसे एक-दूसरेको मारने लगे
athāplutya padāny aṣṭau saṁnipatya gajāvivā | sahasā lohadaṇḍābhyām anyonyam abhijaṣṇatuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, after springing forward eight paces, the two closed upon each other like enraged elephants, and at once began striking one another with iron clubs.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in the heat of war, opponents can be driven by sheer force and rage, acting like powerful animals; it implicitly contrasts battlefield ferocity with the ethical ideal of self-control that dharma elsewhere commends.
Two combatants advance eight paces, collide like elephants, and immediately begin battering each other with iron clubs, as Sañjaya reports the escalating intensity of the duel.