Shloka 2
Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
ते समेत्य रणे राजन् शस्त्रप्रासासिधारिण: । परस्परमुदैक्षन्त परस्परकृतागस:,महाराज! समरांगणमें परस्पर भिड़कर वे नाना प्रकारके शस्त्र, प्रास और खड़्ग आदि धारण करनेवाले योद्धा, जो परस्पर अपराधी थे, एक-दूसरेकी ओर देखने लगे
te sametya raṇe rājan śastraprāsāsidhāriṇaḥ | parasparam udaikṣanta parasparakṛtāgasaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O King, having come face to face in battle, those warriors—bearing weapons, spears, and swords—closed with one another and then looked upon each other, each regarding the other as an offender. In that charged pause, mutual blame and the burden of wrongdoing hung over the combatants even as the clash was about to unfold.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the kṣatriya arena of war, the verse foregrounds moral psychology: combat is not merely physical but ethical, as each side carries a sense of grievance and culpability. The mutual gaze of 'parasparakṛtāgasaḥ' suggests that wrongdoing and retaliation entangle both parties, complicating claims of righteousness.
Sañjaya describes warriors who have closed in on the battlefield, armed with various weapons. Before striking, they look at one another—each viewing the other as an offender—signaling a tense moment of confrontation shaped by prior injuries and accusations.