Shloka 25

Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 13 — Kīcaka’s Proposition and Draupadī’s Dharmic Refusal

Devanagari script

वीरौ परमसंहृष्टावन्‍्योन्यजयकाड्क्षिणौ | आसीत्‌ सुभीम: सम्पातो वज्रपर्वतयोरिव

Transliteration

vaiśampāyana uvāca | vīrau paramasaṁhṛṣṭāv anyonyajayakāṅkṣiṇau | āsīt subhīmaḥ sampāto vajraparvatayor iva ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Hai vị anh hùng, hân hoan tột độ và ai cũng khao khát khuất phục đối phương, lao vào nhau bằng một cú xông ghê rợn—như sét đánh va vào núi. Câu kệ nêu bật men say chiến thắng trong giao tranh, đồng thời gợi bóng hậu quả nặng nề khi tài lực bị thúc đẩy chủ yếu bởi dục vọng áp đảo.

Word by Word

वीरौthe two heroes

परमसंहृष्टौexceedingly delighted

अन्योन्यजयकाङ्क्षिणौdesiring each other's victory/defeat (i.e., eager to conquer one another)

आसीत्was

सुvery; well

भीमःBhima

सम्पातःcollision; encounter; onset

वज्रपर्वतयोःof the thunderbolt-like mountains

इवlike; as if

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

vajra (thunderbolt)

parvata (mountain)

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 the thirst for victory can intensify conflict: even noble warriors, when driven by mutual conquest, generate a terrifying force. It implicitly invites reflection on restraint and the ethical weight of martial ambition.

What is happening in the narrative?

Two warriors, thrilled and intent on defeating one another, charge into a fierce clash. Their encounter is compared to the impact of a thunderbolt against a mountain, emphasizing the violence and magnitude of the moment.