Shloka 20

Devanagari script

अपयास्यसि चेत्युक्त्वा रणं॑ मुक्तो भविष्यसि । एवमाभाष्य चान्योन्यं क्रोधसंरक्तलोचनौ

Transliteration

apayāsyasi cety uktvā raṇaṁ mukto bhaviṣyasi | evam ābhāṣya cānyonyaṁ krodha-saṁrakta-locanau

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Saying, ‘If you withdraw, you will be released from this battle,’ they spoke to one another in this manner—both with eyes reddened by anger.”

Word by Word

अपयास्यसिyou will go away/withdraw

चेत्if

उक्त्वाhaving said

रणम्battle

मुक्तःreleased/freed

भविष्यसिyou will be/become

एवम्thus/in this manner

आभाष्यhaving addressed/spoken to

चand

अन्योन्यम्each other/mutually

क्रोध-संरक्त-लोचनौthe two whose eyes were reddened with anger

Speaker

सयजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

battle (raṇa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger colors perception and speech: mutual provocation in war-talk (“withdraw and be spared”) intensifies hostility, showing the ethical danger of krodha in decision-making and dialogue.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports a tense exchange between two combatants: one asserts that retreat would mean release from the fight, and the two address each other sharply, their anger visibly expressed through reddened eyes.