Shloka 31
उभौ जघ्नतुरन्योन्यमुभौ भूमौ निपेततु: । उभौ ववल्गतुश्षित्रं मुष्टिभिश्व निजघ्नतु:,दोनों दोनोंपर प्रहार करते, दोनों जमीनपर गिर जाते, फिर दोनों ही उछल-कूदकर विचित्र ढंगसे पैंतरे बदलते तथा मुक्कों और घूसोंसे एक-दूसरेको मारते थे
ubhau jaghnatur anyonyam ubhau bhūmau nipetatuḥ | ubhau vavalgatuś citraṁ muṣṭibhiś ca nijaghnatuḥ ||
Markandeya said: Both struck each other; both fell to the ground. Then both sprang up again, shifting their stances in strange, agile maneuvers, and battered one another with clenched fists.
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the raw intensity of mutual aggression: when rivalry is pursued through force alone, both sides are equally endangered and degraded. In the broader Mahabharata ethic, such scenes function as cautionary narrative—valor without restraint and discernment can become mere destructive frenzy.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a close-quarters duel: the two opponents exchange blows, both tumble to the ground, then rise and circle with agile, unusual footwork, continuing to strike each other with their fists.