Shloka 74
भुजज़ा इव वेगेन वल्मीकं क्रोधमूर्च्छिता: । ते शरा रुधिराक्ताज़ा भिनत्त्वा शारद्वतीसुतम्
bhujagā iva vegena valmīkaṁ krodhamūrcchitāḥ | te śarā rudhirāktāś ca bhittvā śāradvatīsutam ||
Like serpents rushing with sudden speed toward an anthill, those arrows—overpowered by rage—blood-smeared, struck and pierced Śāradvatī’s son.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how krodha (anger) overwhelms discernment and propels people into escalating harm; in the ethical frame of the epic, uncontrolled wrath becomes a force that intensifies adharma-like cruelty even within a war context.
In the thick of the Kurukṣetra battle, enraged fighters rush in and shoot arrows that pierce Śāradvatī’s son (Aśvatthāman); the simile of snakes charging an anthill conveys sudden, aggressive, and instinct-driven attack.