अध्याय ५३ — रणमेघोपमा सेना-वर्णना तथा सुषेण-वधोत्तर प्रतिक्रिया
Battle-as-Storm Imagery and the Aftermath of Suṣeṇa’s Fall
(महदासीत् तयोरयुद्ध मुहूर्तमिव दारुणम् । क़्ुद्धयो: समरे राजन् रामरावणयोरिव ।।
sañjaya uvāca | mahad āsīt tayor ayuddhaṁ muhūrtam iva dāruṇam | kruddhayoḥ samare rājan rāma-rāvaṇayor iva || tataḥ śikhaṇḍī kupitaḥ śaraiḥ saptabhir āhave | kṛpaṁ vivyādha kupitaṁ kaṅka-patrair ajihyāgaiḥ ||
قال سنجيا: أيها الملك، لبرهةٍ غدا قتالُهما شديدًا مروّعًا، كقتال راما ورافَنا حين يستعر غضبهما في ساحة الوغى. ثم إن شيخَنْدي، وقد امتلأ حنقًا، أصاب كِرِبا الغاضب في المعركة بسبعة سهام مستقيمة مريَّشة بريش البلشون، فمزّقته جراحًا بالغة.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) magnifies the destructiveness of conflict: once warriors become ‘kruddha/kupita’, the battle turns dreadful and decisive blows follow quickly. The ethical undertone is that passion-driven combat eclipses restraint, accelerating harm even among disciplined fighters.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the duel between the two warriors became terrifying for a time, compared to the legendary Rāma–Rāvaṇa battle. Immediately after, Śikhaṇḍī, enraged, shoots seven straight, heron-feathered arrows and wounds Kṛpa on the battlefield.