Shloka 54
मैत्रेयागमनम् — The Arrival of Maitreya and the Admonition to Duryodhana
तयोरासीत् सुतुमुल: सम्प्रहार: सुदारुण: । नखदंष्टायुधवतोर्व्याच्रयोरिव दृप्तयो:,नख और दाढ़ोंसे ही आयुधका काम लेनेवाले दो उन्मत्त व्याप्रोंकी भाँति उन दोनोंमें अत्यन्त भयंकर एवं घमासान युद्ध छिड़ा हुआ था
tayor āsīt sutumulaḥ samprahāraḥ sudāruṇaḥ | nakhadaṃṣṭāyudhavator vyāghrayor iva dṛptayoḥ ||
Between those two there arose a fiercely tumultuous and exceedingly dreadful clash. Like two enraged tigers, proud and maddened, who make their very nails and fangs their weapons, they fell upon each other in a savage, close-quartered fight—an image that underscores how unchecked wrath turns strength into ruin.
विदुर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the tiger-simile to warn that when pride and fury dominate, conflict becomes brutal and indiscriminate—strength turns into mere instrumentality of harm. Ethically, it points toward the dharmic need for restraint (dama) and humility, without which even the powerful descend into destructive frenzy.
Vidura describes a ferocious hand-to-hand clash between two opponents. The fight is so close and savage that it is compared to two maddened tigers relying on claws and fangs—emphasizing the intensity and cruelty of the encounter.