Shloka 10
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
तावुद्यतगदौ वीरावन्योन्यवधकाड्क्षिणौ
tāv udyatagadau vīrāv anyonyavadhakāṅkṣiṇau
Sañjaya said: Those two heroes, with maces raised, each intent on the other’s death, stood poised for mutual slaughter—an image of war’s grim resolve where valor is inseparable from the ethical tragedy of fratricidal conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of kṣatriya warfare: courage and readiness to fight can coexist with a tragic fixation on killing. It invites reflection on how anger and rivalry narrow dharmic vision, turning heroic energy toward mutual destruction.
Sañjaya describes two warriors facing each other with raised maces, both determined to kill the other. The scene sets the immediate combat mood—imminent impact, reciprocal hostility, and the deadly symmetry of duel-like warfare.