Shloka 96
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
घटोत्कचो महाराज क्रोधसंरक्तलोचन: । उन्होंने अपने हाथीके द्वारा आपके पुत्रका मार्ग रोक दिया। महाराज! बुद्धिमान् वंगनरेशके द्वारा दुर्योधनके रथका मार्ग रुका हुआ देख घटोत्कचके नेत्र क्रोधसे लाल हो गये
sañjaya uvāca | ghaṭotkaco mahārāja krodha-saṃrakta-locanaḥ |
Sanjaya said: O King, Ghaṭotkaca’s eyes turned red with anger. Seeing that Duryodhana’s chariot-route had been blocked—checked by the wise king of Vanga—he flared up in wrath, as the battle’s codes of protection and obstruction tightened around the Kaurava leader.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger rapidly colors perception and escalates violence in war; it implicitly warns that emotional reactivity (krodha) can drive decisions more than discernment, even amid tactical constraints and duties.
Sanjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca becomes enraged when he sees Duryodhana’s chariot-route obstructed—held up by the wise king of Vanga—signaling a tactical check on the Kaurava leader and provoking Ghaṭotkaca’s wrathful response.