Shloka 34
अजिशीर्षे प्रातःसंध्यायां संग्रामवर्णनम् / Dawn-Transition Battle at Ajiśīrṣa
Chapter 161
तद् युद्धमभवत् तेषां कृतप्रतिकृतैषिणाम् । यथा देवासुरे युद्धे शक्रस्य सह दानवै:
tad yuddham abhavat teṣāṁ kṛta-pratikṛtaiṣiṇām | yathā devāsure yuddhe śakrasya saha dānavaiḥ ||
Sanjaya berkata: Maka pecahlah pertempuran di antara mereka yang haus membalas perbuatan dengan perbuatan; bagaikan perang para dewa dan asura ketika Sakra bertempur melawan para Danava.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral danger of pratikāra (retaliation): when warriors become driven by the urge to repay harm with harm, conflict escalates into an endless cycle of vengeance, obscuring restraint and dharmic discernment.
Sañjaya describes the fighting as erupting fiercely among the combatants, characterizing them as intent on countering each other’s deeds. He intensifies the description by comparing it to the cosmic-scale devasura war, with Indra (Śakra) battling the Dānavas.