Shloka 31
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
(दुःशासनार्जुनौ वीरीौ वृत्रेन्द्रसममतेजसौ ।) समीयतुर्महासंख्ये मयशक्रौ यथा पुरा । भारत! वे दोनों रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ और दुर्जय वीर थे। दोनों ही कान्ति और दीप्तिमें चन्द्रमा और सूर्यके समान जान पड़ते थे और भारत! दुःशासन तथा अर्जुन दोनों वीर वृत्रासुर एवं इन्द्रके समान तेजस्वी थे। वे दोनों क्रोधमें भरकर एक-दूसरेके वधकी अभिलाषा रखते थे। उस महायुद्धमें वे उसी प्रकार एक-दूसरेसे भिड़े हुए थे, जैसे पूर्वकालमें मयासुर और इन्द्र आपसमें लड़ते थे || २९-३० ई ।। दुःशासनो महाराज पाण्डवं विशिखैस्त्रिभि:
sañjaya uvāca | (duḥśāsanārjunau vīrau vṛtrendrasamatejasau |) samīyatur mahāsaṅkhye mayaśakrau yathā purā |
Sanjaya said: In that great battle, the two heroes—Duhshasana and Arjuna—whose splendor was equal to that of Vṛtra and Indra, closed in upon one another. As in ancient times Maya and Śakra (Indra) once met in combat, so did these two confront each other now—driven by wrath and intent on each other’s destruction, their clash intensifying the moral gravity of the war where personal hatred and martial duty collide.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wrath and the desire to kill can dominate warriors even within a dharma-framed war, reminding the reader that martial prowess is ethically charged: valor without inner restraint easily becomes destructive passion.
Sanjaya describes Duhshasana and Arjuna advancing to fight each other in the thick of the great battle, likening their encounter to an ancient clash between Maya and Indra, and emphasizing their formidable, almost cosmic, intensity.