Shloka 37
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
तेषामासीन्महाराज व्यतिक्षेप: परस्परम् सिंहानामामिषेप्सूनां कूजतामिव संयुगे
teṣām āsīn mahārāja vyatikṣepaḥ parasparam | siṁhānām āmiṣepsūnāṁ kūjatām iva saṁyuge ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Raja, antara para pahlawan itu tercetus pertembungan sengit sesama mereka—seperti singa yang mengidam daging, mengaum ketika bertarung. Demikianlah di medan perang itu mereka saling menghentam dengan pukulan yang menggerunkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, once war is fully engaged, combatants can be driven by raw appetite for victory and destruction, resembling predatory animals. It implicitly warns that unchecked aggression and desire (lobha/īpsā) can eclipse discernment and dharmic restraint, turning the battlefield into a scene of mutual ruin.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the warriors on the battlefield have become thoroughly entangled in close combat, striking one another fiercely. He heightens the scene with a simile: like roaring lions fighting over flesh, the fighters clash with terrifying force.