Shloka 24

Devanagari script

अपरे बाहुभिवरीरा नियुद्धकुशला युधि । बहुधा समसज्जन्त आयसै: परिघैरिव,कितने ही मल्लयुद्धमें कुशल वीर उस युद्धस्थलमें लोहेके परिघोंके समान मोटी भुजाओंसे परस्पर भिड़कर अनेक प्रकारके दाँव-पेंच दिखाते हुए लड़ रहे थे

Transliteration

apare bāhubhir vīrā niyuddha-kuśalā yudhi | bahudhā samasajjanta āyasaiḥ parighair iva ||

Translation

Wika ni Sañjaya: Ang iba pang mga bayani, bihasa sa dikitang labanan, ay nagyakap at nagbuno sa isa’t isa sa larangan. Sa makakapal at malalakas na bisig—na wari’y pamalong bakal—nagkandado sila at nagpatuloy sa pakikipaglaban, nagpapakita ng sari-saring hawak at galaw.

Word by Word

अपरेothers (some other warriors)

बाहुभिःwith arms

वरीराःstrong/stout (lit. thick-bodied/robust)

नियुद्धकुशलाःskilled in close combat/wrestling

युधिin battle

बहुधाin many ways

सम्together/fully (preverb)

असज्जन्तthey engaged/closed in (upon one another)

आयसैःiron (made of iron)

परिघैःwith iron bars/maces

इवlike/as if

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

warriors (vīrāḥ)

arms (bāhu)

iron clubs/bars (āyasa-parigha)

battlefield (yudhi)

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 war reduces human strength and discipline into instruments of harm: even refined skill (kuśalatā) in wrestling becomes a means to injure. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between valor/technique and the destructive ends they serve in a righteous war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that some warriors are not using distant weapons but are locked in hand-to-hand grappling. Their arms are compared to iron clubs as they clash, showing many wrestling maneuvers while fighting amid the larger battle.