Shloka 40
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 94: Sātyaki–Sudarśana Yuddha (सात्यकि–सुदर्शन युद्ध)
आजयपघानोरसि क्रुद्ध: सप्तभिननतपर्वभि: । तब अर्जुनने उनका धनुष काटकर उनके तरकशके भी टुकड़े-टुकड़े कर दिये। फिर कुपित हो झुकी हुई गाँठवाले सात बाणोंद्वारा उनकी छातीपर प्रहार किया ।। अथान्यद् धनुरादाय स राजा क्रोधमूर्च्छित:
sañjaya uvāca | arjunena tasya dhanuś chittvā tasya tūṇīrān api vidhvaṃsitān cakāra | tataḥ kupitaḥ sa saptabhir bhinnataparvabhir bāṇair asyoraḥ prāharat || athānyad dhanuḥ ādāya sa rājā krodhamūrcchitaḥ |
Sanjaya said: Arjuna cut down his bow and shattered his quivers as well. Then, in anger, he struck his opponent’s chest with seven arrows whose joints were split. After that, the king—overwhelmed by wrath—took up another bow, determined to continue the fight. The passage underscores how, in the heat of war, skill and retaliation can quickly be driven by anger, clouding judgment and intensifying violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can seize a warrior’s mind, escalating conflict beyond measured judgment. Even amid a dharma-framed war, the narrative warns that wrath fuels persistence in violence and can obscure restraint and discernment.
Sanjaya describes Arjuna’s tactical dominance: he cuts the opponent’s bow and destroys the quivers, then strikes the chest with seven arrows. The opponent—called ‘the king’—is enraged and, despite the setback, picks up another bow to continue fighting.