Shloka 356

Devanagari script

अन्योनयं क्रुद्धयोर्घोरं यथा द्विरद्सिंहयो: । तदनन्तर हाथी और सिंहके समान क्रोधमें भरे हुए उन कुरुवंशी और मधुवंशी सिंहोंमें परस्पर घोर युद्ध होने लगा

Transliteration

anyonyam kruddhayor ghoraṁ yathā dvirada-siṁhayoḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then, like a furious elephant and a lion locked in combat, those enraged champions of the Kuru line and the Madhu (Yādava) line began a dreadful fight against each other. The scene underscores how wrath on the battlefield can drive even the noblest warriors into terrifying mutual destruction, eclipsing restraint and dharma.

Word by Word

• अन्योन्यम्: mutually, each other
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्योन्य
• Form: Avyaya (adverb)

• क्रुद्धयोः: of the two enraged (ones)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रुद्ध (√क्रुध्)
• Form: Masculine/Feminine, Genitive, Dual

• घोरम्: terrible, dreadful
• घोरम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: घोर
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• यथा: as, like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा
• Form: Avyaya (comparative particle)

• द्विरद: of two elephants
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्विरद
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

• सिंहयोः: of two lions
• Type: Noun
• Root: सिंह
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Dual

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Kuru lineage (Kurava)
• Madhu/Yādava lineage (Madhava)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies conflict into something ‘ghora’ (terrible), suggesting an ethical warning: when wrath governs action, even great warriors lose restraint and the struggle becomes mutually ruinous.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a fierce, face-to-face clash between a Kuru hero and a Madhu/Yādava hero, comparing their enraged combat to an elephant and a lion fighting—an image of balanced power and terrifying violence.