अथाप्लुत्य पदान्य् अष्टौ संनिपत्य गजाव् इव ॥
सहसा लोहदण्डाभ्याम् अन्योन्यम् अभिजघ्नतुः ॥
तौ परस्परवेगाच् च गदाभ्यां च भृशाहतौ ॥
युगपत् पेततुर् वीरौ क्षिताव् इन्द्रध्वजाव् इव ॥
ततो विह्वलमानं तं निःश्वसन्तं पुनः पुनः ॥
शल्यम् अभ्यपतत् तूर्णं कृतवर्मा महारथः ॥
दृष्ट्वा चैनं महाराज गदयाभिनिपीडितम् ॥
विचेष्टन्तं यथा नागं मूर्छयाभिपरिप्लुतम् ॥
ततः सगदम् आरोप्य मद्राणाम् अधिपं रथम् ॥
अपोवाह रणात् तूर्णं कृतवर्मा महारथः ॥
athāplutya padāny aṣṭau saṃnipatya gajāv iva ||
sahasā lohadaṇḍābhyām anyonyam abhijaghnatuḥ ||
tau parasparavegāc ca gadābhyāṃ ca bhṛśāhatau ||
yugapat petatur vīrau kṣitāv indradhvajāv iva ||
tato vihvalamānaṃ taṃ niḥśvasantaṃ punaḥ punaḥ ||
śalyam abhyapatat tūrṇaṃ kṛtavarmā mahārathaḥ ||
dṛṣṭvā cainaṃ mahārāja gadayābhinipīḍitam ||
viceṣṭantaṃ yathā nāgaṃ mūrchayābhipariplutam ||
tataḥ sagadam āropya madrāṇām adhipaṃ ratham ||
apovāha raṇāt tūrṇaṃ kṛtavarmā mahārathaḥ ||
Then, springing back eight paces and closing again like elephants, they suddenly struck each other with iron maces. Both, from the mutual force of the impact and grievously smitten by the maces, fell to the ground together, like fallen banners of Indra. Then Kritavarman, the mighty chariot-warrior, hastened at once to Shalya, who was growing faint and breathing heavily again and again. Seeing him, O great king, struck down by the mace, writhing like an elephant, overcome by a swoon, Kritavarman, the mighty chariot-warrior, lifted the lord of the Madras together with his mace onto his chariot and swiftly bore him away from the battle.
5d43afaa706f · प्रकाशित 19 जुल॰ 2026, 3:00:04 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
A duel of equals ends in equality: both "fall together, like fallen banners of Indra" — where strength is truly matched, there is no victor, only mutual exhaustion. The image of Indra's fallen banners runs deep: even the greatest are cast down, and glory itself bows to the earth. Shalya's rescue at the hand of Kritavarman shows the loyalty of comrades who do not abandon the fallen. The verse teaches that when equal valor collides, no one wins — both are spent, for true equality knows no victor; that even the mightiest strength bends like a toppled banner; and that a comrade's loyalty in carrying the fallen from battle is a virtue brighter than victory itself.