Shloka 77
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
इत्येवं तर्जयन्तौ तौ वाक्शल्यैस्तुदतां तदा । युध्येतां समरे वीरौ चित्र लघु च सुष्ठुच,इस प्रकार एक-दूसरेको ललकारते और डाँटते हुए वे दोनों वीर वाक्यरूपी बाणोंद्वारा परस्पर चोट करते हुए समरांगणमें शीघ्रतापूर्वक और सुन्दर ढंगसे विचित्र युद्ध कर रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | ityevaṁ tarjayantau tau vākśalyais tudatāṁ tadā | yudhyetāṁ samare vīrau citra-laghu ca suṣṭhu ca ||
Sañjaya said: Thus, as the two heroes taunted and challenged one another, wounding each other with barbed words, they fought on the battlefield—swiftly, skillfully, and in a strikingly varied manner. The verse highlights how, amid war, speech itself becomes a weapon, intensifying hostility and testing restraint alongside martial prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that in warfare not only weapons but also words can wound; ethical restraint (dharma) is tested when anger and insult escalate conflict, and true heroism includes mastery over speech as well as arms.
Sañjaya describes two opposing warriors engaged in a duel: they exchange sharp taunts and threats, ‘piercing’ each other with verbal barbs while simultaneously fighting with swift, skillful, and varied maneuvers on the battlefield.