Shloka 31
वारणाविव चान्योन्यं विषाणाभ्यामरिंदमौ । निर्भिन्दन्तौ स्वगात्राणि सायकैश्लारु रेजतु:
vāraṇāv iva cānyonyaṁ viṣāṇābhyām arindamau | nirbhindantau svagātrāṇi sāyakaiḥ ślāru reje tuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Like two mighty elephants, those two foe-subduers closed upon each other, goring one another with their horns; and as they pierced each other’s own limbs with volleys of arrows, they shone—terrible and splendid—amid the clash. The verse underscores the grim reciprocity of war: valor and skill blaze forth, yet at the cost of self-wounding violence that consumes both sides.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the paradox of battlefield glory: martial excellence can appear radiant, yet it operates through mutual harm. It invites reflection on the ethical cost of violence—even when performed as kṣatriya valor—since both sides are diminished by the very acts that display their prowess.
Sañjaya describes a close-quarters duel in the Droṇa Parva: two formidable warriors rush at each other like elephants, ‘goring’ metaphorically with horn-like force, while simultaneously riddling each other’s bodies with arrows. The imagery conveys intensity, equality of strength, and the brutal symmetry of the fight.