Shloka 9

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

Devanagari script

संरब्धौ हि महाबाहू परस्परवधैषिणौ | अन्योन्यमीक्षांचक्राते दहन्ताविव लोचनै:,एक-दूसरेके वधकी इच्छावाले वे दोनों महाबाहु योद्धा अत्यन्त कुपित हो एक-दूसरेको नेत्रोंद्वारा दग्ध-से करते हुए परस्पर दृष्टिपात करने लगे

Transliteration

saṃrabdhau hi mahābāhū parasparavadhaiṣiṇau | anyonyam īkṣāṃ cakrāte dahantāv iva locanaiḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: The two mighty-armed warriors, inflamed with rage and intent on each other’s death, fixed their gaze upon one another—seeming to scorch each other with their eyes. The scene underscores how wrath and the thirst to kill can eclipse restraint and dharma even among the great, turning perception itself into a weapon.

Word by Word

संरब्धौenraged, agitated

हिindeed, for

महाबाहूmighty-armed (two warriors)

परस्पर-वध-एषिणौseeking each other's death

अन्योन्यम्each other (mutually)

ईक्षाम्a look, glance

चक्रातेthey made / they cast (a look)

दहन्तौburning (as if)

इवas if, like

लोचनैःwith (their) eyes

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

two mighty-armed warriors (unnamed in this verse)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how krodha (anger) and the fixation on killing can overpower discernment and dharma; even before weapons strike, hostility manifests through intention and perception, warning that inner violence precedes outer violence.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes two powerful fighters facing each other in extreme fury, mutually intent on slaying one another, staring so fiercely that it is as though their eyes themselves burn.