Shloka 139
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
व्यात्तानना घोरजिद्दा: क्रोधताम्रेक्षणा भृशम् | सिंहनादेन महता नादयन्तो वसुन्धराम्
vyāttānanā ghorajiddhāḥ krodhatāmrekṣaṇā bhṛśam | siṃhanādena mahatā nādayanto vasundharām ||
Sañjaya said: With mouths gaping wide, fierce and dreadful in aspect, their eyes reddened with rage, they roared with a mighty lion-like cry, making the very earth resound.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked anger (krodha) amplifies violence and overwhelms restraint; in the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such battle-fury can eclipse discernment and push warriors away from measured, dharmic conduct.
Sañjaya describes warriors in a heightened state of combat—mouths agape, eyes red with rage—raising a massive lion-like roar that makes the earth seem to tremble, signaling the escalation and terror of the battlefield.