Shloka 6.79.26
मकराक्षवधः (The Slaying of Makarākṣa)
विद्धमन्योन्यगात्रेषुद्विगुणंवर्धतेपरम् ।कृतप्रतिकृतान्योन्यंकुरुतांतौरणाजिरे ।।।।
viddham anyonyagātreṣu dviguṇaṃ vardhate param | kṛtapratikṛtānyonyaṃ kurutāṃ tau raṇājire ||
Though their bodies were pierced again and again, their ardor only rose—redoubling—on the battlefield, as each answered the other’s blows with blows in return.
Even though they were piercing one another with limbs, their strength remained doubled in the battlefield. Each of them was countering the other and inflicting and hitting each other.
It cautions that cycles of retaliation can intensify conflict. In dharmic thought, even when force is necessary, restraint and right intention prevent violence from becoming self-feeding vengeance.
The combatants continue striking and counterstriking; despite wounds, the battle-fury escalates rather than subsides.
Vīrya (valor/steadfastness) is highlighted—endurance under injury—while implicitly inviting reflection on whether valor is guided by dharma or by anger.