Mahabharata (Gita Press) 7.166.2 - Drona Parva, Adhyaya 166, Shloka 2
Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
ते समेत्य रणे राजन् शस्त्रप्रासासिधारिण: । परस्परमुदैक्षन्त परस्परकृतागस:
te sametya raṇe rājan śastraprāsāsidhāriṇaḥ | parasparam udaikṣanta parasparakṛtāgasaḥ ||
राजन्, ते समेत्य रणे शस्त्रप्रासासिधारिणः। परस्परमुदैक्षन्त परस्परकृतागसः॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the kṣatriya arena of war, the verse foregrounds moral psychology: combat is not merely physical but ethical, as each side carries a sense of grievance and culpability. The mutual gaze of 'parasparakṛtāgasaḥ' suggests that wrongdoing and retaliation entangle both parties, complicating claims of righteousness.
Sañjaya describes warriors who have closed in on the battlefield, armed with various weapons. Before striking, they look at one another—each viewing the other as an offender—signaling a tense moment of confrontation shaped by prior injuries and accusations.
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