Shloka 16
त्रिपुरदाह-इतिहासः
Tripura-destruction exemplum and counsel to Śalya
तावुभौ विरथौ वीरौ कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धनौ | व्यपाक्रमेतां युद्धात्तु प्रेक्षमाणी परस्परम्,कुरुकुलकी कीर्ति बढ़ानेवाले वे दोनों वीर रथहीन हो एक-दूसरेको देखते हुए युद्धस्थलसे हट गये
tāv ubhau virathau vīrau kurūṇāṁ kīrtivardhanau | vyapākrametāṁ yuddhāt tu prekṣamāṇī parasparam ||
Sañjaya said: Those two heroic warriors, now without their chariots and enhancing the fame of the Kurus, withdrew from the battle, each watching the other—retreating not in fear, but in the disciplined pause that follows the loss of one’s fighting position.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid violent conflict, the epic highlights regulated warrior-ethics: when a combatant loses the essential means of fighting (here, the chariot), stepping back can be an act of discipline and honor rather than cowardice—preserving dharma and reputation.
Sañjaya reports that two renowned Kuru warriors have become chariotless and therefore withdraw from the immediate fighting, still watching one another closely—signaling a temporary break in their engagement rather than a complete end to hostility.