Shloka 41

Ādi Parva, Adhyāya 103 — Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Gāndhārī Vivāha: Proposal, Consent, and the Vow

Devanagari script

तौ वृषाविव नर्दन्तौ बलिनौ वासितान्तरे । अन्योन्यमभ्यवर्तेतां बलविक्रमशालिनौ,ये दोनों बलवान्‌ वीर मैथुनकी इच्छावाली गौके लिये आपसमें लड़नेवाले दो साँड़ोंकी तरह हुंकार करते हुए एक-दूसरेसे भिड़ गये। दोनों ही बल और पराक्रमसे सुशोभित थे

Transliteration

tau vṛṣāv iva nardantau balinau vāsitāntare | anyonyam abhyavartetāṃ balavikramaśālinau ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Hai bậc dũng mãnh ấy, gầm vang như đôi bò đực kình địch giữa đàn, lao thẳng vào nhau. Mỗi người đều rạng rỡ bởi sức mạnh và uy dũng; cuộc va chạm của họ như bò đực tranh giành bạn phối—một hình ảnh cho thấy dục vọng thô bạo và sự ganh đua có thể xô đẩy cả những kẻ hùng cường vào bạo lực.

Word by Word

तौthose two

वृषौtwo bulls

इवlike/as

नर्दन्तौroaring

बलिनौstrong

वासितान्तरेin the interval after being made to bellow/roar (i.e., after the challenge-cry)

अन्योन्यम्each other/mutually

अभ्यवर्तेताम्they approached/closed in upon (each other)

बलविक्रमशालिनौpossessing strength and prowess

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

two unnamed warriors (tau)

bulls (vṛṣa)

cattle/herd context (vāsitāntara)

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 uses the bull-simile to highlight how rivalry fueled by desire can reduce even the strong and heroic to instinct-driven violence; it implicitly warns that unchecked impulses (kāma and competitive pride) can overpower discernment and dharma.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vaiśampāyana describes two powerful opponents charging at each other, roaring like two bulls contending within a herd—an emphatic depiction of their mutual aggression and matched strength.