Gadāyuddhe Kṛṣṇopadeśaḥ (Kṛṣṇa’s Counsel in the Mace-Duel) — Śalya-parva 57
अभवच्च तयोरय॑द्ध॑ तुमुलं लोमहर्षणम् । जिगीषतोर्यथान्योन्यमिन्द्रप्रह्मादयोरिव,दुर्योधन और भीमका गदायुद्ध एक-दूसरेको जीतनेकी इच्छा रखनेवाले उन दोनोंमें इन्द्र और प्रह्नादके समान भयंकर एवं रोमांचकारी युद्ध होने लगा
abhavac ca tayor yuddhaṁ tumulaṁ lomaharṣaṇam | jigīṣator yathānyonyam indra-prahlādayor iva ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Kemudian, antara kedua-duanya—masing-masing berhasrat menundukkan yang lain—terjadilah pertempuran yang bergelora, menggetarkan bulu roma, bagaikan pertembungan dahsyat Indra dengan Prahlāda.”
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how the single-minded urge to defeat an opponent (jigīṣā) intensifies conflict into a frightening, uncontrolled force. It implicitly warns that victory-seeking, when unchecked by dharma and restraint, magnifies suffering and turns battle into a spectacle of terror.
Sañjaya describes the fight between the two champions reaching a peak: their mutual desire to win produces a roaring, hair-raising combat, compared to a mythic clash involving Indra and Prahlāda—signaling the ferocity and high stakes of the duel.