Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 29
Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
तथा सदृशकर्माणौ वरुणस्य महाबलौ । वासुदेवस्य रामस्य तथा वैश्रवणस्य च
tathā sadṛśakarmāṇau varuṇasya mahābalau | vāsudevasya rāmasya tathā vaiśravaṇasya ca, mahārāja! śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-denau te ubhau mahābalī vīrau yamarāja-indra-varuṇa-śrīkṛṣṇa-balarāma-kubera-madhu-kaiṭabha-sunda-upasunda-rāma-rāvaṇa-bāli-sugrīvavat parākramaṃ darśayantaḥ kāla-mṛtyu-samāv iva babhūvatuḥ ||
संजय बोले—महाराज! वे दोनों महाबली वीर वरुण के समान कर्म करने वाले थे; और वासुदेव (श्रीकृष्ण), राम (बलराम) तथा वैश्रवण (कुबेर) के समान भी। शत्रुओं को संताप देने वाले वे दोनों यमराज, इन्द्र, वरुण, श्रीकृष्ण, बलराम, कुबेर तथा मधु-कैटभ, सुन्द-उपसुन्द, राम-रावण और बालि-सुग्रीव जैसे प्रसिद्ध प्रतिद्वन्द्वियों के समान पराक्रम दिखाते थे; वे मानो काल और मृत्यु के समान प्रतीत होते थे।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming, almost cosmic scale of martial power in the war: human warriors can appear as instruments of inevitability—like Time and Death—reminding the listener that violence in battle quickly becomes impersonal and fated, and that pride in strength is fragile before larger forces.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that two mighty warriors on the battlefield are devastating their foes. To convey their intensity, he strings together comparisons to major gods and legendary pairs of opponents, culminating in the image that they seem like Kāla and Mṛtyu moving among men.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.