Shloka 20
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
अथाश्येत्य पदान्यष्टौ संनिपातो5भवत् तयो: । उद्यम्य लोहदण्डाभ्यामतिमानुषकर्मणो:
athāśyetya padāny aṣṭau saṃnipāto 'bhavat tayoḥ | udyamya lohadaṇḍābhyām atimānuṣakarmaṇoḥ ||
Санджая сказал: Затем, сделав навстречу друг другу восемь шагов, они сошлись вплотную. Подняв железные палицы, эти мужи сверхчеловеческой мощи начали наносить друг другу удары, и в тот миг между ними вспыхнула страшная, тесная схватка.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly battle can intensify into brutal hand-to-hand violence when opponents close distance and abandon restraint; it implicitly warns that pride and wrath can eclipse discernment, even among mighty warriors.
Two warriors advance eight steps toward each other, come into close contact, raise iron clubs, and begin striking one another; Sañjaya emphasizes the terrifying, superhuman nature of their clash.