Shloka 12
इन्द्रध्वजाविवोत्सृष्टी रणमध्ये परंतपौ । शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले वे दोनों वीर रणक्षेत्रमें गदाके अग्रभागसे एक-दूसरेको चोट पहुँचाकर नीचे गिराये हुए दो इन्द्र-ध्वजोंके समान पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े ।। दौ:शासनिरथोत्थाय कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धन:
sañjaya uvāca |
indradhvajāv ivotsṛṣṭī raṇamadhye parantapau |
śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-denau te dvau vīrau raṇakṣetre |
gadāgreṇa parasparaṃ prahṛtya nipātitau |
dvāv indra-dhvajāv iva pṛthivyāṃ nipetuḥ ||
dauḥśāsanir athotthāya kurūṇāṃ kīrtivardhanaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the midst of the battle, those two tormentors of foes—heroes who burned their enemies with anguish—struck one another with the head of their maces and fell to the earth like two Indra-banners cast down. Then Duhśāsani, rising again, sought to enhance the fame of the Kurus.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya glory and the grim cost of violence: even the mightiest, likened to towering Indra-banners, can be brought down in an instant. Reputation (kīrti) motivates action, yet the imagery underscores impermanence and the ethical weight of war.
Sañjaya describes a mace-duel in which two powerful warriors strike each other with the mace-head and collapse to the ground like toppled Indra-standards. Immediately after, Dauḥśāsani (Duḥśāsana’s son) rises again, intent on advancing the Kurus’ renown.