Shloka 89
ततः क्रुद्धो रणे राजन् हृदिकस्यात्मसम्भव: । अभिदुद्राव वेगेन याज्ञसेनिं महारथम्,राजन! जैसे सिंह हाथीपर आक्रमण करता है, उसी प्रकार उस रणक्षेत्रमें कुपित हुए शूरवीर कृतवर्माने समरांगणमें महात्मा भीष्मकी मृत्युका कारण बने हुए महारथी शिखण्डीपर अपने बलका प्रदर्शन करते हुए बड़े वेगसे धावा किया
tataḥ kruddho raṇe rājan hṛdikasya ātmasambhavaḥ | abhidudrāva vegena yājñaseniṁ mahāratham ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Kṛtavarmā—Hṛdika’s own son—enraged in the battle, charged with great speed at the mighty chariot-warrior Śikhaṇḍin (the son of Drupada), who had been the instrumental cause of Bhīṣma’s fall. The verse underscores how wrath and vengeance drive warriors to single out pivotal agents in the war’s moral and strategic turning points.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger in war narrows moral vision and turns combat into personal retribution: Kṛtavarmā targets Śikhaṇḍin specifically because of Śikhaṇḍin’s role in Bhīṣma’s fall, showing how perceived causality and grievance shape battlefield choices.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛtavarmā, son of Hṛdika, becomes furious and rushes at high speed to attack the great warrior Śikhaṇḍin (Drupada’s child), identified as the key agent connected with Bhīṣma’s downfall.