Mahabharata 9.14.25 — Shalya Parva, Adhyaya 14, Shloka 25

Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)

Devanagari script

तयोरयुद्धं महाराज चिरं सममिवाभवत्‌

Transliteration

tayor yuddhaṃ mahārāja ciraṃ samam ivābhavat

Translation

சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—மகாராஜா, அந்த இருவரின் போர் நீண்ட நேரம் சமமாகவே நடந்தது; யாருக்கும் தெளிவான மேலாதிக்கம் இல்லை, விதி இருவரையும் சமநிலையில் வைத்ததுபோல்।

Word by Word

• तयोः: of those two
• तयोः: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Dual

• अयुद्धम्: non-fighting; absence of battle
• अयुद्धम्: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: अयुद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Nominative, Singular

• महाराज: O great king
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाराज
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• चिरम्: for a long time
• चिरम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: चिर

• समम्: equally; evenly
• समम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम

• इव: as if; like
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: इव

• अभवत्: was; became
• Type: Verb
• Root: भू
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the uncertainty and moral weight of war: even mighty warriors can remain evenly matched for long periods, suggesting that outcomes are not merely products of strength but also of circumstance and destiny, and that persistence in one’s duty (kṣatriya-dharma) unfolds within limits beyond human control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the duel between two principal fighters continued for a long time without a decisive upper hand—an extended, balanced contest in the midst of the Kurukṣetra war.