Shloka 13
भीमसेनस्य गदायुद्ध-प्रभावः
The Battlefield Impact of Bhīmasena’s Mace Combat
तौ तत्र समरे युक्तौ कृतप्रतिकृतेषिणौ । अन्योन्यं विशिखैस्ती६णैर्जघ्नतु: पुरुषर्षभौ
tau tatra samare yuktau kṛta-pratikṛteṣiṇau | anyonyaṁ viśikhaiḥ tīkṣṇair jaghnatuḥ puruṣarṣabhau ||
Wika ni Sanjaya: Doon, sa gitna ng labanan, ang dalawang bayaning tila mga toro ay lubos na nagtagpo sa sagupaan, bawat isa’y hangad na salagin at suklian ang ginawa ng kabila. Sa matutulis na palaso, paulit-ulit nilang tinatamaan ang isa’t isa—magkatimbang sa tatag, nakagapos sa tunggalian ng pagganti at kagitingan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the cycle of retaliation in war: two great warriors, driven by the urge to counter and repay, intensify violence through mutual striking. Ethically, it underscores how ‘requital’ (pratikṛta) can become a governing motive in conflict, sustaining escalation even among the noble.
Sañjaya reports that two eminent fighters are locked in direct combat on the battlefield, each aiming to neutralize the other’s attacks and answer them in kind, wounding one another with sharp arrows.