Shloka 2

Devanagari script

(आशीविषावग्निमिवापधूमं वैरं मुखाभ्यामभिनि:श्वसन्तौ । यशस्विनौ जज्वलतुर्मधे तदा घृतावसिक्ताविव हव्यवाहौ ।।) वे दोनों यशस्वी वीर उस समय दो विषधर सर्पोके समान लंबी साँस खींचकर मानो अपने मुखोंसे धूमरहित अग्निके सदृश वैरभाव प्रकट कर रहे थे। वे घीकी आहुतिसे प्रज्वलित हुई दो अग्नियोंकी भाँति युद्धभूमिमें देदीप्यमान होने लगे। यथा गजौ हैमवतोौ प्रभिन्नौ प्रवृद्धदन्ताविव वासितार्थ । तथा समाजम्मतुरुग्रवीर्यो धनंजयश्चाधिरथिक्ष वीरौ,जैसे मदकी धारा बहानेवाले हिमाचलप्रदेशके बड़े-बड़े दाँतोंवाले दो हाथी किसी हथिनीके लिये लड़ रहे हों, उसी प्रकार भयंकर पराक्रमी वीर अर्जुन और कर्ण युद्धके लिये एक-दूसरेके सामने आये

Transliteration

āśīviṣāv agnim ivāpa-dhūmaṃ vairaṃ mukhābhyām abhiniḥśvasantau | yaśasvinau jajvalatur madhe tadā ghṛtāvasiktāv iva havyavāhau ||

Translation

तदा तौ यशस्विनौ वीरौ दीर्घं निःश्वसन्तौ मुखाभ्यामिव धूमरहितामग्निं वैरस्य निष्पतन्तीं दर्शयामासतुः—आशीविषाविव। घृताहुतिभिः प्रज्वलिताविव हव्यवाहौ रणमध्ये देदीप्यमानौ। यथा च हैमवतौ प्रभिन्नौ प्रवृद्धदन्तौ गजौ वासितार्थौ, तथा तावुग्रवीर्यौ धनञ्जयः सूतपुत्रश्च कर्णः समराय परस्परं समीयतुः।

Word by Word

आशीविषvenomous serpent

अग्निम्fire

इवlike/as

अपधूमम्smokeless

वैरम्enmity

मुखाभ्याम्with (their) mouths

अभिनिःश्वसन्तौbreathing out strongly

यशस्विनौglorious/famed (two)

जज्वलतुःblazed

मधेin the middle

तदाthen/at that time

घृतावसिक्तौsprinkled with ghee

इवlike/as

हव्यवाहौtwo fire-gods / two fires (bearers of oblations)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

two warriors (Arjuna and Karna, by context of the Karṇa Parva battle)

Agni (havyavāha, sacrificial fire)

venomous serpents (āśīviṣa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how inner hostility (vaira) manifests outwardly as consuming heat—brilliant like sacrificial fire yet destructive like serpent-venom. It implicitly contrasts the radiance of fame and martial excellence with the ethical danger of being driven by enmity rather than restraint and right intention.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the moment when the two famed champions face each other in battle, breathing fiercely and appearing to blaze with anger. The imagery compares them to venomous serpents and to two ghee-fed sacrificial fires, emphasizing the intensity of the impending clash.