Shloka 20
त्वया सुबहवो युद्धे निर्जिता: शत्रुसूदन । दंशिता: क्रूरकर्माण: काम्बोजा युद्धदुर्मदा:
tvayā subahavo yuddhe nirjitāḥ śatrusūdana | daṃśitāḥ krūrakarmāṇaḥ kāmbojā yuddhadurmadāḥ ||
Sūta said: “By you, O slayer of foes, many have been overcome in battle—those Kāmbojas, fierce in deed and maddened by the arrogance of war, have been checked and subdued.”
सूत उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical motif of the epic: martial pride and cruelty (‘yuddhadurmadāḥ’, ‘krūrakarmāṇaḥ’) are ultimately restrained by superior valor and discipline. It implies that mere ferocity or war-intoxication is not true strength; it can be checked by a righteous or more capable warrior.
Sūta, narrating events, praises a warrior addressed as ‘Śatrusūdana’ for having defeated many opponents in the battle—specifically the Kāmbojas—describing them as ruthless and swollen with warlike arrogance, now subdued by his prowess.