Shloka 3
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
अभवच्च तयोरय॑द्ध॑ तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम् । जिगीषतोर्यथान्योन्यमिन्द्रप्रह्मादयोरिव
abhavac ca tayor yuddhaṁ tumulaṁ lomaharṣaṇam | jigīṣator yathānyonyam indra-prahlādayor iva ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Entonces, entre aquellos dos —cada cual empeñado en vencer al otro— surgió una batalla tumultuosa, que erizaba los cabellos, como el terrible choque de Indra y Prahlāda.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the single-minded urge to defeat an opponent (jigīṣā) intensifies conflict into a frightening, uncontrolled force. It implicitly warns that victory-seeking, when unchecked by dharma and restraint, magnifies suffering and turns battle into a spectacle of terror.
Sañjaya describes the fight between the two champions reaching a peak: their mutual desire to win produces a roaring, hair-raising combat, compared to a mythic clash involving Indra and Prahlāda—signaling the ferocity and high stakes of the duel.