Shloka 17
महाराज! धृष्टकेतुने दूसरा धनुष लेकर तिहत्तर तीखे शिलीमुख बाणोंद्वारा पौरवको गहरी चोट पहुँचायी ।।
tāv tu tatra maheṣvāsau mahāmātrau mahārathau | mahatā śaravarṣeṇa parasparam avidhyatām ||
Disse Sañjaya: Ó Rei, ali no campo de batalha, aqueles dois—ambos grandes arqueiros, comandantes eminentes e os mais destacados maharathis—continuavam a ferir-se mutuamente, cada qual derramando sobre o outro uma densa chuva de flechas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethic of steadfast engagement in battle—fighters meet force with force, accepting risk and injury as part of their duty—while also implicitly revealing the grim, escalating nature of warfare where mutual harm becomes the norm.
Sañjaya describes two elite warriors on the battlefield who are locked in a direct duel, repeatedly piercing each other with a powerful, continuous volley of arrows.