Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)
तांस्तु सर्वानू स बलवान् सात्यकिर्युद्धदुर्मद:
tāṁs tu sarvān sa balavān sātyakir yuddha-durmadaḥ
Sañjaya said: Then the mighty Sātyaki—intoxicated with the ardor of battle—confronted all of them, his strength and resolve undiminished.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights the moral ambiguity of martial excellence: strength and courage are admirable, yet when fueled by battle-intoxication (durmada), they can slip into rashness and pride, testing the boundaries of dharma in war.
Sañjaya narrates that Sātyaki, a powerful Pāṇḍava ally, advances against all the opposing fighters before him, described as ‘battle-intoxicated,’ signaling an intense escalation in the combat.