Shloka 19
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
तावुभौ नरशार्दूलौ कुरुमुख्यौ महाबलौ
tāv ubhau naraśārdūlau kurumukhyau mahābalau
Sañjaya berkata: Kedua-duanya—laksana harimau di antara manusia, yang terunggul dalam kaum Kuru, dan berdaya besar—tampak menonjol sebagai pahlawan perang yang utama; tubuh dan kekuatan mereka menandai betapa beratnya pertikaian yang bakal meletus.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: extraordinary personal power and noble lineage (being ‘foremost Kurus’) do not by themselves resolve dharma; they intensify responsibility, because such figures shape the fate of many in war.
Sañjaya is describing two prominent Kuru warriors, praising them with conventional heroic epithets (‘tiger-like among men’, ‘very powerful’) as part of the battlefield narration in Bhīṣma Parva.