Shloka 14
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
महानागौ श्ज्ञैरिव महर्षभौ । तोत्रैरिव तदान्योन्यं गदाग्राभ्यां निजघ्नतु:,जैसे दो विशाल हाथी दाँतोंसे और दो बड़े-बड़े साँड़ सींगोंसे एक-दूसरेपर चोट करते हैं, उसी प्रकार अंकुशों-जैसी उन श्रेष्ठ गदाओंद्वारा वे दोनों वीर एक-दूसरेपर आघात करने लगे
mahānāgau śṛṅgair iva maharṣabhau | totrair iva tadānyonyaṁ gadāgrābhyāṁ nijaghnatuḥ |
Sañjaya said: Like two mighty elephants striking with their tusks, or like two great bulls clashing with their horns, the two foremost warriors began to smite one another with the tips of their maces, as though those maces were goads.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ferocity and inevitability of martial confrontation once dharma has collapsed into war: prowess and courage can be admirable, yet the imagery of beasts driven by goads hints at how combat reduces humans to compelled violence, reminding the listener of war’s ethical burden.
Sañjaya describes two leading warriors locked in close combat, repeatedly striking each other with the heads of their maces. Their exchange of blows is compared to elephants goring with tusks and bulls clashing with horns, emphasizing the intensity of the duel.