Mahabharata 1.103.41 — Adi Parva, Adhyaya 103, Shloka 41

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 103 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Gāndhārī Vivāha: Proposal, Consent, and the Vow

Devanagari script

तौ वृषाविव नर्दन्तौ बलिनौ वासितान्तरे । अन्योन्यमभ्यवर्तेतां बलविक्रमशालिनौ

Transliteration

tau vṛṣāv iva nardantau balinau vāsitāntare | anyonyam abhyavartetāṃ balavikramaśālinau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana dit : Les deux puissants, mugissant comme des taureaux rivaux au milieu du troupeau, se ruèrent l’un sur l’autre. Chacun était paré de force et de vaillance, et leur choc fut comme celui de taureaux se disputant une femelle—image qui montre combien le désir brut et la rivalité peuvent pousser même les plus forts à la violence.

Word by Word

• तौ: those two
• तौ: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• वृषौ: two bulls
• वृषौ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृष
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• इव: like/as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• नर्दन्तौ: roaring
• Type: Verb
• Root: नर्द्
• Form: Present, Third, Dual, Parasmaipada

• बलिनौ: strong
• बलिनौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बलिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

• वासितान्तरे: in the interval after being made to bellow/roar (i.e., after the challenge-cry)
• वासितान्तरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: वासित-अन्तर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अन्योन्यम्: each other/mutually
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्योन्य

• अभ्यवर्तेताम्: they approached/closed in upon (each other)
• Type: Verb
• Root: अभि-आ-वृत्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), Third, Dual, Ātmanepada

• बलविक्रमशालिनौ: possessing strength and prowess
• बलविक्रमशालिनौ: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बल-विक्रम-शालिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Dual

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vaiśampāyana
• two unnamed warriors (tau)
• bulls (vṛṣa)
• cattle/herd context (vāsitāntara)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses the bull-simile to highlight how rivalry fueled by desire can reduce even the strong and heroic to instinct-driven violence; it implicitly warns that unchecked impulses (kāma and competitive pride) can overpower discernment and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes two powerful opponents charging at each other, roaring like two bulls contending within a herd—an emphatic depiction of their mutual aggression and matched strength.