Shloka 20
माद्रेयस्तु ततः क्रुद्धो दुर्मुखं च शितैः शरै: । भ्राता भ्रातरमायान्तं विव्याध प्रहसन्निव,यह देख माद्रीकुमार कुपित हो उठे। वे दुर्मुखके भाई लगते थे। उन्होंने अपने पास आते हुए भ्राता दुर्मुखको हँसते हुए-से तीखे बाणोंद्वारा बींध डाला
mādreyaḥ tu tataḥ kruddho durmukhaṃ ca śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | bhrātā bhrātaram āyāntaṃ vivyādha prahasann iva ||
Sañjaya said: Then the son of Mādrī, angered, pierced Durmukha with sharp arrows. As Durmukha—like a brother to him—came toward him, he struck him as though with a smile.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of battlefield duty: in war, anger and allegiance can eclipse even brotherly bonds, warning how wrath (krodha) hardens the heart and makes violence feel effortless—“as if smiling.”
Sañjaya narrates that Nakula (Mādreya), provoked, shoots Durmukha with sharp arrows as Durmukha approaches; the striking detail is that Durmukha is described as a brother, emphasizing the tragedy of kin fighting kin.