Shloka 55
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
वालिसुग्रीवयो र्भ्रात्रो: पुरेव कपिसिंहयो: । अन्योन्यमपि संरब्धौ परस्परजयैषिणौ
vāli-sugrīvayor bhrātroḥ pureva kapi-siṁhayor | anyonyam api saṁrabdhau paraspara-jayaiṣiṇau ||
Vaiśampāyana said: As in former times the two lion-like monkey brothers Vāli and Sugrīva fought a fierce battle, so too did these two now begin to clash. Both were inflamed with anger at one another, each striving for victory—on one side Kīcaka, foremost among his party, and on the other Bhīmasena, the best of men.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and the craving for victory (jaya-eṣaṇā) intensify conflict; it implicitly invites reflection on restraint and right purpose in the use of strength.
The narrator compares the impending fight to the famous Vāli–Sugrīva brotherly combat, indicating that the two opponents have become mutually enraged and are battling with the sole aim of defeating each other.