Shloka 26
देवसत्रे मृत्युनिरोधः, पूर्वेन्द्राणां मानुषावतरणम्, द्रौपदी-वरकथनम्
Suspension of Death at the Devasatra; Former Indras’ Human Descent; Draupadī’s Boon Etiology
आचर्कर्षतुरन्योन्यं मुष्टिभिश्वापि जघ्नतुः । ततश्नट्चटाशब्द: सुघोरो हूभवत् तयो:
Vaiśampāyana uvāca |
ācarakarṣatur anyonyaṃ muṣṭibhiś cāpi jaghnatuḥ |
tataś caṭ-caṭā-śabdaḥ sughoro 'bhavat tayoḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说道：他们彼此扭住，拖拽相近，又以拳猛击。随即二人之间响起可怖的“喀喀”之声——如石相撞——拳击之重，震耳欲裂。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked hostility manifests as raw violence: when opponents abandon restraint, conflict becomes dehumanizing, reducing interaction to force and injury. Ethically, it points to the need for self-control (dama) and restraint even amid rivalry, since anger quickly escalates into cruelty.
Two combatants are locked in close combat: they seize and pull each other, then trade heavy punches. The blows produce a loud, frightening ‘caṭ-caṭ’ cracking sound, likened to stones striking—emphasizing the intensity and brutality of the fight.