Shloka 22
Karṇa’s Camp-Council Discourse: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament, Sañjaya’s Counsel, and Karṇa’s Request for Śalya
Book 8, Chapter 22
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत कर्णपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धाविषयक बाईसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,पिपीलिकपुं राजन् यथा मृदनन्नरो रुषा । तथा सा कौरवी सेना मृदिता तेन भारत भरतवंशी नरेश! जैसे मनुष्य रोषमें आकर चींटियोंके दलको मसल डालता है, उसी प्रकार सहदेवने उस कौरव-सेनाको धूलमें मिला दिया
pipīlikāṃ puṃ rājann yathā mṛdnannaro ruṣā | tathā sā kauravī senā mṛditā tena bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: O King, just as a man, seized by anger, crushes a swarm of ants underfoot, so too was that Kaurava host ground down by him, O scion of Bharata.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The simile highlights how anger and the momentum of war can make destruction feel effortless, reducing opponents to something trampled. It invites reflection on the ethical degradation that accompanies wrath-driven violence, even when performed within the framework of kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava forces were decisively crushed—likened to ants being stamped out—by the warrior referred to as 'he' (contextually Sahadeva), emphasizing the scale and swiftness of the rout.