Shloka 18
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
गदाभि: परिधैश्नान्यैरायुथैश्व भुजैरपि । अन्योन्यं जष्निरे क्रुद्धा युद्धरड्गरगता नरा:,समस्त सैनिक उस रफणक्षेत्रमें तलवारके बहुत-से पैंतरे दिखाते हुए विचर रहे थे। युद्धकी रंगभूमिमें आये हुए मनुष्य परस्पर कुपित हो एक-दूसरेपर ऋष्टि, शक्ति, प्रास, शूल, तोमर, पट्टिश, गदा, परिघ, अन्यान्य आयुध तथा भुजाओंद्वारा चोट पहुँचाते थे
gadābhiḥ parighaiś cānyair āyudhaiś ca bhujair api | anyonyaṃ jajñire kruddhā yuddharaṅgaraṅgatā narāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged men who had entered the arena of battle struck one another—using maces and iron clubs, other weapons as well, and even their own arms. The scene portrays warfare at its most unrestrained, where anger overrides restraint and the combatants reduce one another through sheer force rather than deliberation or mercy.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how krodha (anger) can eclipse discernment and restraint, turning the battlefield into a space where human beings treat each other as targets rather than persons. It implicitly warns that when rage governs action, ethical limits erode and violence escalates beyond measured combat.
Sañjaya describes the general melee: warriors, inflamed with fury, clash at close quarters, striking each other with heavy weapons like maces and iron clubs, with other arms as well, and even grappling or beating with their own arms in the press of battle.