तस्मिन् प्रमथिते सैन्ये भगदत्तो नराधिपः ॥
तेन नागेन सहसा धनंजयम् उपाद्रवत् ॥
तं रथेन नरव्याघ्रः प्रत्यगृह्णाद् अभीतवत् ॥
स संनिपातस् तुमुलो बभूव रथनागयोः ॥
कल्पिताभ्यां यथाशास्त्रं रथेन च गजेन च ॥
संग्रामे चेरतुर् वीरौ भगदत्तधनंजयौ ॥
tasmin pramathite sainye bhagadatto narādhipaḥ ||
tena nāgena sahasā dhanaṃjayam upādravat ||
taṃ rathena naravyāghraḥ pratyagṛhṇād abhītavat ||
sa saṃnipātas tumulo babhūva rathanāgayoḥ ||
kalpitābhyāṃ yathāśāstraṃ rathena ca gajena ca ||
saṃgrāme ceratur vīrau bhagadattadhanaṃjayau ||
When that army was routed, King Bhagadatta swiftly charged Dhananjaya with that elephant. The tiger among men met him fearlessly on his chariot; a furious clash of chariot and elephant broke out. Equipped according to the rules of the shastras, with chariot and with elephant, both warriors fought in battle -- Bhagadatta and Dhananjaya.
80d69c970080 · publicado 19 jul 2026, 15:11:21 UTC
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Both warriors fight "according to the rules of the shastras" -- even in a deadly duel, observing the discipline and order of combat. Here is an image of that dharma of war which distinguishes the contest of the noble from mere slaughter: there are rules that even mortal enemies follow. It is telling that the account emphasizes precisely their training, not mere fury. The verse teaches that battle too has its law, and the worthy uphold it even at the extreme; that skill governed by rule is higher than unbridled rage; and that the keeping of order in combat by opposing sides is the last bastion of humanity on a field where otherwise blind force alone would reign -- so long as enemies fight by the rules, war has not entirely lost its face.