Shloka 2
Bhīṣma–Arjuna Strategic Engagement at Virāṭa’s Frontier (भीष्मार्जुनयुद्धम्)
तयोर्देवासुरसम: संनिपातो महानभूत् । किरतो: शरजालानि वृत्रवासवयोरिव,उन दोनोंमें देवताओं और असुरोंके समान भारी संघर्ष होने लगा। वे दोनों (एक- दूसरेपर) बाणसमूहोंकी बौछार करते हुए वृत्रासुर और इन्द्रके समान जान पड़ते थे
tayor devāsurasamaḥ saṁnipāto mahān abhūt | kiratoḥ śarajālāni vṛtravāsavayor iva ||
Disse Vaiśampāyana: Entre aqueles dois ergueu-se um grande choque, como o dos deuses e dos asuras. Lançando um ao outro redes de flechas, pareciam Vṛtra e Vāsava (Indra) travados em combate—imagem que intensifica a cena e reforça o aviso recorrente do épico: o orgulho e a hostilidade podem transformar a destreza em fúria destrutiva.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a cosmic comparison (devas vs. asuras; Indra vs. Vṛtra) to show how personal combat can swell into destructive, pride-driven violence; it implicitly cautions that martial power, when fueled by enmity, mirrors mythic forces of chaos and must be governed by dharma.
Two warriors engage in a fierce duel, exchanging dense volleys of arrows. The narrator intensifies the scene by likening their clash to the legendary battle between Indra (Vāsava) and Vṛtra, and more broadly to the wars of gods and asuras.