Shloka 8
बलिनौ स्पर्धिनौ वीरौ कुलजौ बाहुशालिनौ । तावेनं शरवर्षाणि सव्यदक्षिणमस्थताम्,वे दोनों बलवान अर्जुनसे स्पर्धा रखनेवाले, वीर, उत्तम कुलमें उत्पन्न और अपनी भुजाओंसे सुशोभित होनेवाले थे। उन दोनोंने अर्जुनपर दायें-बायेंसे बाण बरसाना आरम्भ किया
balinau spardhinau vīrau kulajau bāhuśālinau | tāvenam śaravarṣāṇi savyadakṣiṇam asthatām ||
Sañjaya said: Those two warriors were powerful and fiercely competitive, born of noble lineage and distinguished by the strength of their arms. Taking positions on Arjuna’s left and right, they began to shower him with volleys of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the martial ethos of the battlefield: strength, lineage, and competitive spirit culminate in coordinated aggression. Ethically, it reflects how rivalry and the pursuit of victory can intensify violence, testing a warrior’s steadiness and discernment amid pressure.
Sañjaya describes two powerful, noble-born warriors taking flanking positions—one on Arjuna’s left and one on his right—and beginning a concentrated barrage of arrows against him.