Shloka 21
Arjuna’s Advance toward Bhīṣma; The Gāṇḍīva’s Signal and the Armies’ Convergence (भीष्माभिमुखगमनम् — गाण्डीवनिर्घोष-ध्वजवर्णनम्)
सो<पविद्धय धनुश्किन्न॑ पुत्रस्ते क्रोधमूर्च्छित: । अन्यत् कार्मुकमादत्त सत्वरं वेगवत्तरम्,राजन्! धनुष कटनेपर आपका पुत्र क्रोधसे मूर्च्छित हो उठा। उसने उस कटे हुए धनुषको फेंककर तुरंत ही उससे भी अधिक वेगशाली दूसरा धनुष ले लिया
so 'paviddhya dhanuḥ kṛtnaṁ putras te krodha-mūrcchitaḥ | anyat kārmukam ādatta satvaraṁ vegavattaram, rājan |
Sañjaya said: “O King, when his bow had been cut down, your son—overwhelmed and stupefied by anger—cast it aside and at once seized another bow, swifter and more forceful.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger can overwhelm discernment (krodha-mūrcchā), yet in the battlefield context it also shows the warrior’s immediate resolve to continue fighting—an example of how emotion can drive escalation rather than reflection.
After his bow is cut, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son Duryodhana, enraged, throws away the damaged bow and quickly takes up another, even more powerful bow, continuing the combat.