Shloka 20
तौ परस्परमासाद्य समीपे कुरुमाधवौ । हसमानीौ नृशार्दूलावभीतौ समसज्जताम्,यह देख सात्यकि बड़ी शीघ्रताके साथ पुनः दुर्योधनके सम्मुख आ गये। वे दोनों मनुष्योंमें सिंहके समान पराक्रमी थे। कुरुवंशी दुर्योधन और मधुवंशी सात्यकि एक-दूसरेको समीप पाकर निर्भय हो हँसते हुए युद्ध करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | tau parasparam āsādya samīpe kurumādhavau | hasamānau nṛśārdūlāv abhītau samasajjatām ||
Sañjaya said: Meeting face to face at close quarters, the Kuru and the Mādhava—Duryodhana and Sātyaki—both lion-like among men, fearless and smiling, engaged each other in combat. The scene affirms the warrior code of confronting an equal directly, displaying courage and resolve even amid the moral darkness of fratricidal war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a morally tragic war, the epic highlights kṣatriya-dharma: meeting an opponent directly with steadiness and fearlessness. The warriors’ smiling composure signals inner resolve and the ideal of not yielding to fear, though the broader conflict remains ethically fraught.
Sātyaki swiftly comes again before Duryodhana; the two close in at short distance. Described as ‘tigers among men,’ they fearlessly smile and begin fighting each other.