Shloka 37

कर्ण-पाण्डव-संमर्दः — Karṇa and Arjuna’s Intensified Engagement

Devanagari script

तावन्योन्यं जिघांसन्तौ शरैस्तीक्ष्णैर्महारथौ । प्रेक्षणीयतरावास्तां वृष्टिमन्ताविवाम्बुदौ,पैने बाणोंद्वारा एक-दूसरेको मार डालनेकी इच्छावाले वे दोनों महारथी वीर वर्षा करनेवाले बादलोंके समान अत्यन्त दर्शनीय हो रहे थे

Transliteration

tāv anyonyaṃ jighāṃsantau śarais tīkṣṇair mahārathau | prekṣaṇīyatarāv āstāṃ vṛṣṭimantāv ivāmbudau ||

Translation

Kedua maharathi itu, yang saling berniat membunuh dengan panah-panah tajam, tampak amat menakjubkan—laksana awan sarat hujan yang menumpahkan derasnya.

Word by Word

तौthose two

अन्योन्यम्each other (mutually)

जिघांसन्तौdesiring to kill / intending to slay

शरैःwith arrows

तीक्ष्णैःsharp

महारथौthe two great chariot-warriors

प्रेक्षणीयतरौmore worthy to be seen / more splendid to behold

आस्ताम्they were / they stood

वृष्टिमन्तौrain-bearing

इवlike / as

अम्बुदौtwo clouds

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

two mahārathas (unnamed in this verse)

arrows (śara)

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 paradox of righteous-war culture: extraordinary skill and grandeur can coexist with the grim intention to kill. It invites reflection on how war can appear magnificent while remaining ethically tragic, underscoring the weight of kṣatriya-duty and the human cost of enmity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a duel between two elite chariot-warriors who shower each other with sharp arrows, appearing like rain-bearing clouds. The focus is on the intensity and visual power of their exchange rather than naming the combatants.