Shloka 20
शल्यपरिघातः (Śalya Under Encirclement) — Mahābhārata, Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 12
अथाश्येत्य पदान्यष्टौ संनिपातो5भवत् तयो: । उद्यम्य लोहदण्डाभ्यामतिमानुषकर्मणो:
athāśyetya padāny aṣṭau saṃnipāto 'bhavat tayoḥ | udyamya lohadaṇḍābhyām atimānuṣakarmaṇoḥ ||
三阇耶说道：于是二人各向前迈出八步，逼近相合。举起铁杖，那两位具超人神勇的战士便相互击打；就在那一刻，他们之间爆发了骇人的贴身恶战。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly battle can intensify into brutal hand-to-hand violence when opponents close distance and abandon restraint; it implicitly warns that pride and wrath can eclipse discernment, even among mighty warriors.
Two warriors advance eight steps toward each other, come into close contact, raise iron clubs, and begin striking one another; Sañjaya emphasizes the terrifying, superhuman nature of their clash.