Shloka 5
विज्ञायैतन्निशायुद्ध जिघांसुर्भीममाहवे । स मत्त इव मातड्: संक़्रुद्ध इव चोरग:
vijñāyaitanniśāyuddhaṃ jighāṃsurbhīmamāhave | sa matta iva mātaṅgaḥ saṃkruddha iva coragaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Having understood that this was a night-battle, he entered the fight intent on killing Bhīma. In the fray he raged like an intoxicated elephant, and like a serpent provoked to fury—an image of unrestrained martial wrath unleashed in the darkness of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the conditions of war—especially a night-battle—can intensify tamasic rage and single-minded violence. It implicitly contrasts disciplined kṣatriya conduct with the moral peril of fighting in darkness, where anger and the urge to kill can eclipse restraint and dharma.
Sañjaya describes a warrior who, recognizing that the fighting has shifted into a night engagement, rushes into combat with the specific aim of killing Bhīma. His ferocity is compared to a musth-elephant and an enraged serpent, emphasizing uncontrolled aggression on the battlefield.