Shloka 20
दुःशासननिग्रहः—द्रोणधृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धप्रसङ्गः
Rebuke of Duḥśāsana; Context of the Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Combat
ततस्तौ समरे शूरो योधयन्तौ परस्परम् । ददृशु: सर्वसैन्यानि शक्रजम्भौ यथा पुरा
tatastau samare śūro yodhayantau parasparam | dadṛśuḥ sarvasainyāni śakrajambhau yathā purā ||
Sañjaya said: Then those two heroes, locked in combat and striking one another in the thick of battle, were beheld by all the armies—like Indra and Jambha of old.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial valor becomes a public spectacle in war, yet it is framed through a mythic comparison (Indra vs. Jambha) that reminds the listener of the recurring, archetypal nature of conflict and the heavy ethical weight borne by warriors amid mass suffering.
Sañjaya reports that two heroic fighters are engaged in a direct duel, striking each other in battle, and that all the assembled armies watch them—just as people once beheld the ancient combat between Indra (Śakra) and the demon Jambha.