Shloka 16

Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57

Devanagari script

भरतनन्दन! वीर भीमसेन भाँति-भाँतिके मार्गों और मण्डलोंका प्रदर्शन करते हुए पुनः बड़ी शोभा पाने लगे ।। तौ परस्परमासाद्य यत्तावन्योन्यरक्षणे । मार्जाराविव भक्षार्थ ततक्षाते मुहुर्मुहु:,वे दोनों परस्पर भिड़कर एक-दूसरेसे अपनी रक्षाके लिये प्रयत्नशील हो रोटीके टुकड़ोंके लिये लड़नेवाले दो बिलावोंके समान बारंबार आघात-प्रतिघात कर रहे थे

Transliteration

bharatanandana! vīro bhīmasenaḥ bhānti-bhāntike mārgān maṇḍalāni ca pradarśayan punaḥ mahāśobhayā śuśubhe. tau parasparam āsādya yattāv anyonya-rakṣaṇe, mārjārāv iva bhakṣārthaṃ tata-kṣāte muhur muhuḥ.

Translation

Sañjaya dit : «Ô descendant de Bharata, l’héroïque Bhīmasena, déployant des trajectoires sans cesse variées et des manœuvres en cercle, se remit à briller d’une grande splendeur. Les deux guerriers se heurtèrent, chacun s’efforçant de se garder de l’autre ; tels deux chats se disputant une bouchée, ils frappaient et ripostaient encore et encore.»

Word by Word

तौthose two

परस्परम्mutually, each other

आसाद्यhaving approached/attacked

यत्तौwho/which two

अन्योन्य-रक्षणेin mutual self-protection (protecting each other/oneself against the other)

मार्जारौtwo cats

इवlike, as

भक्षार्थम्for the sake of food

ततक्षातेthey struck/assailed (each other)

मुहुःagain and again

मुहुःrepeatedly

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīmasena (Bhīma)

Bharatanandana (addressed king of the Bharata line)

two combatants (unnamed in this verse)

cats (mārjārau, simile)

morsel of food (bhakṣa, implied object of dispute)

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 the ethical tension in war: even great heroes must balance prowess with self-protection. The cat-simile underscores how fierce conflict can reduce opponents to instinctive struggle over a ‘prize,’ reminding the listener that unchecked rivalry and attachment to gain can make combat brutal and repetitive.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Bhīma’s impressive battlefield movement—varied paths and circular turns—after which the two fighters close in. They repeatedly exchange blows while each tries to defend himself, likened to two cats quarrelling over a morsel.