Shloka 24
आत्मदोष-उपदेशः तथा भीम-धृष्टद्युम्नयोः संयोगः
Self-Causation Counsel and the Bhīma–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Convergence
अपरे बाहुभिवरीरा नियुद्धकुशला युधि । बहुधा समसज्जन्त आयसै: परिघैरिव,कितने ही मल्लयुद्धमें कुशल वीर उस युद्धस्थलमें लोहेके परिघोंके समान मोटी भुजाओंसे परस्पर भिड़कर अनेक प्रकारके दाँव-पेंच दिखाते हुए लड़ रहे थे
apare bāhubhir vīrā niyuddha-kuśalā yudhi | bahudhā samasajjanta āyasaiḥ parighair iva ||
Sañjaya said: Other heroes, skilled in close combat, grappled with one another on the battlefield. With thick, powerful arms—like iron clubs—they locked together and fought on, displaying many kinds of holds and maneuvers. The scene underscores how, amid the larger war, individual prowess and disciplined technique also drive the struggle, even as violence intensifies through human strength turned into weaponry.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war reduces human strength and discipline into instruments of harm: even refined skill (kuśalatā) in wrestling becomes a means to injure. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between valor/technique and the destructive ends they serve in a righteous war.
Sañjaya reports that some warriors are not using distant weapons but are locked in hand-to-hand grappling. Their arms are compared to iron clubs as they clash, showing many wrestling maneuvers while fighting amid the larger battle.