Shloka 32

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

Devanagari script

प्रकर्षणाकर्षणयोरभ्याकर्षविकर्षणै:* | आकर्षतुरथान्योन्यं जानुभिश्चापि जघ्नतु:

Transliteration

prakarṣaṇākarṣaṇayor abhyākarṣavikarṣaṇaiḥ | ākarṣatur athānyonyaṃ jānubhiś cāpi jaghnatuḥ ||

Translation

Vaiśampāyana nói: Trong cuộc giằng co kéo và kéo ngược—mỗi bên lôi giật, vặn xoắn đối phương—họ kéo sát nhau lại, thậm chí còn dùng đầu gối mà đánh. Cảnh ấy phơi bày một cuộc tranh chấp thuần sức lực, nơi bạo lực thay cho kiềm chế, cho thấy kiêu hãnh và ganh đua có thể đẩy con người vào vòng leo thang tàn bạo.

Word by Word

प्रकर्षणin pulling

आकर्षणयोःand in drawing (towards oneself)

अभ्याकर्षby (acts of) pulling towards

विकर्षणैःby (acts of) dragging apart

आकर्षतुःthe two drew/pulled

रथान्chariots

अन्योन्यम्mutually, each other

जानुभिःwith (their) knees

चand

अपिalso

जघ्नतुःthe two struck

Speaker

वैशम्पायन उवाच

Characters & Entities

Vaiśampāyana

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?

Unchecked rivalry and pride can quickly turn a contest into cruelty; the verse highlights how conflict escalates when self-control and dharma-based restraint are abandoned.

What is happening in the narrative?

Two opponents grapple at close quarters, alternately pulling each other in and wrenching away, until they come chest-to-chest and strike one another with their knees in a fierce clinch.