Shloka 33
द्रौणि-पार्षतयोर्युद्धम् | The Duel of Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi) and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata
अन्योन्यमभिवीक्षन्ती कोपाद् विवृतलोचनौ । प्रहसन्तौ तथान्योन्यं भर्त्सयन्तौ मुहुर्मुहु:
anyonyam abhivīkṣantī kopād vivṛtalocanau | prahasantau tathānyonyaṁ bhartsayantau muhur muhuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: With anger, their eyes wide open, they kept staring at one another; again and again they laughed at each other and repeatedly hurled taunts—an image of wrath and contempt overtaking restraint amid the war’s brutalizing momentum.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (kopa) distorts perception and conduct: wide-eyed fixation, derisive laughter, and repeated taunting replace self-restraint. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such loss of composure is a symptom of adharma’s spread in war, warning that inner discipline is as crucial as outer victory.
Sañjaya describes two opposing warriors (implied by the dual forms) locked in a hostile exchange: they glare at each other in rage, mock one another, and repeatedly trade harsh rebukes—setting the emotional tone for an imminent clash.