Shloka 23
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
क्रियाविशेषकृतिनौ रणभूमितले5चलौ । तौ परस्परसंरम्भाद् गदाभ्यां सुभशाहतौ
kriyā-viśeṣa-kṛti-nau raṇabhūmi-tale 'calau | tau paraspara-saṃrambhād gadābhyāṃ subhṛśa-āhatau ||
Sañjaya said: On the floor of the battlefield, those two—masters of varied and skillful maneuvers—stood firm and unmoving. Yet, driven by mutual fury, they struck each other with their maces with tremendous force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how even great skill and steadiness in battle can be overtaken by mutual rage (saṃrambha), suggesting an ethical warning: anger intensifies violence and narrows judgment, turning prowess into destructive escalation.
Sañjaya describes two warriors on the battlefield standing firm, then—provoked by mutual fury—striking one another powerfully with maces, emphasizing both their technical mastery and the ferocity of the exchange.