Shloka 29

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

Devanagari script

शलाकानखपातैश्न पादोदधूतैश्न दारुणै: । जानुभिश्नचाश्मनिर्घोषै: शिरोभि श्चावघट्टनै:,कभी वे रोषपूर्वक अंगुलियोंके नखोंसे एक-दूसरेको बकोटते। कभी पैरोंसे उलझाकर दोनों दोनोंको गिरा देते। कभी घुटने और सिरसे टक्कर मारते; जिससे पत्थर टकरानेके समान भयंकर शब्द होता था

Transliteration

śalākā-nakha-pātaiś ca pādod-dhūtaiś ca dāruṇaiḥ | jānubhiś ca aśma-nirghoṣaiḥ śirobhiś cāvaghaṭṭanaiḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Trong cơn cuồng nộ, họ cào cấu nhau bằng móng tay sắc như gai; họ quét chân, vấp ngã nhau bằng những cú đá hằn học; rồi thúc gối và húc đầu, tạo nên tiếng va rợn người như đá đập vào đá—một hình ảnh của cuộc chiến bị dẫn dắt bởi giận dữ hơn là tự chế.

Word by Word

शलाका-नख-पातैःwith the falls/strikes of (their) nail-like spikes (i.e., nails like needles)

पाद-उदधूतैःwith (them) shaken/struck by the feet

दारुणैःterrible, fierce

जानुभिःwith (their) knees

चand

अश्म-निर्घोषैःwith stone-like crashing sounds

शिरोभिःwith (their) heads

चand

अवघट्टनैःwith collisions/strikings (buttings)

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (roṣa) degrades conduct into brutal, uncontrolled violence; it implicitly contrasts such rage-driven fighting with the ideal of disciplined strength and self-restraint expected in dharmic behavior.

What is happening in the narrative?

A fierce hand-to-hand struggle is being described: the fighters claw with nails, trip and throw with their feet, and collide with knees and heads, creating a terrifying sound like stones striking together.