Shloka 25

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 13 — Kīcaka’s Proposition and Draupadī’s Dharmic Refusal

Devanagari script

वीरौ परमसंहृष्टावन्‍्योन्यजयकाड्क्षिणौ | आसीत्‌ सुभीम: सम्पातो वज्रपर्वतयोरिव

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | vīrau paramasaṁhṛṣṭāv anyonyajayakāṅkṣiṇau | āsīt subhīmaḥ sampāto vajraparvatayor iva ||

Translation

Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Los dos héroes, exultantes y deseosos cada cual de vencer al otro, se abalanzaron con un ímpetu terrible, como el choque de un rayo contra una montaña. El verso subraya el embriagador atractivo de la victoria en combate, y a la vez insinúa las graves consecuencias cuando la destreza se mueve sobre todo por el ansia de someter.

Word by Word

वीरौthe two heroes

परमसंहृष्टौexceedingly delighted

अन्योन्यजयकाङ्क्षिणौdesiring each other's victory/defeat (i.e., eager to conquer one another)

आसीत्was

सुvery; well

भीमःBhima

सम्पातःcollision; encounter; onset

वज्रपर्वतयोःof the thunderbolt-like mountains

इवlike; as if

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

vajra (thunderbolt)

parvata (mountain)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how the thirst for victory can intensify conflict: even noble warriors, when driven by mutual conquest, generate a terrifying force. It implicitly invites reflection on restraint and the ethical weight of martial ambition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Two warriors, thrilled and intent on defeating one another, charge into a fierce clash. Their encounter is compared to the impact of a thunderbolt against a mountain, emphasizing the violence and magnitude of the moment.