Shloka 23
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
परस्परं समासाद्य दंष्टा भ्यां द्विरदौ यथा । अशोभेतां महाराज शोणितेन परिप्लुतो
parasparaṁ samāsādya daṁṣṭrābhyāṁ dviradau yathā | aśobhetāṁ mahārāja śoṇitena pariplutau ||
Dijo Sañjaya: «¡Oh Rey! Al trabarse el uno con el otro, resplandecían como dos elefantes que chocan sus colmillos, ambos empapados en sangre». La imagen subraya la brutal simetría del combate: se exhiben valor y resistencia, pero ese “esplendor” es inseparable del costo moral de herirse mutuamente en la guerra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of battlefield ‘glory’: courage and prowess may appear splendid, yet they arise through reciprocal harm. It invites reflection on the ethical weight of violence even when performed within the accepted duties of war.
Sañjaya describes two combatants locked in close combat, striking each other so fiercely that both are soaked in blood, likened to two elephants goring one another with their tusks.