Shloka 8
Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
तौतु दृष्टवा महावीर्यो समा श्चस्तौ नरर्षभौ । बलिनौ वारणोौ यद्वद् वासितार्थे मदोत्कटौ
tau tu dṛṣṭvā mahāvīryau samāśvastau nararṣabhau | balinau vāraṇau yadvat vāsitārthe madotkaṭau ||
サञ्जयは言った。「息を整えたのち再びガダーを取り、戦いを再開したあの二人の大勇士—人中の雄牛—を見て、観る者は、発情の狂気に駆られ、受け入れる雌象をめぐって争う二頭の強大な象王を思った。これを目の当たりにして、神々もガンダルヴァも人々も、ことごとく驚嘆に打たれた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of resilience and steadfast courage: even after exhaustion, the warriors regain composure and re-enter combat. Ethically, it underscores disciplined endurance and the awe such unwavering valor inspires—while also hinting at the dangerous, passion-like force of battle through the elephant-in-rut simile.
Sañjaya describes two mighty champions who, after a brief respite, take up their maces again and restart the duel with renewed intensity. Their ferocity is compared to two powerful rut-maddened elephants fighting over a mate, and the spectacle astonishes gods, Gandharvas, and humans.