Shloka 23
अर्जुनस्य दिग्विजयारम्भः — Arjuna Initiates the Northern Campaign and Secures Bhagadattta’s Tribute
तयोरथ भुजाघातान्निग्रहप्रग्रहात् तथा । आसीत् सुभीमसम्पातो वज्रपर्वतयोरिव
tayor atha bhujāghātān nigraha-pragrahāt tathā | āsīt subhīma-sampāto vajra-parvatayor iva ||
तयोः अथ भुजाघातान्निग्रहप्रग्रहात् तथा । आसीत् सुभीमसम्पातो वज्रपर्वतयोरिव ॥
श्रीकृष्ण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the kṣatriya ideal of controlled, face-to-face contest: power is exercised with restraint and skill (grappling, holding, counter-holding), suggesting that even violent struggle can be governed by discipline and accepted rules rather than cruelty.
Two mighty fighters are locked in a grappling duel; their arm-blows and mutual holds create a terrifying cracking noise, compared to the collision of a thunderbolt and a mountain—an image that magnifies the intensity of the Jarāsandha combat episode.