Shloka 16
Adhyāya 6: Śibira-dvāra-sthita Bhūta-varṇana and Aśvatthāmā’s Śaraṇāgati to Mahādeva
ततः स कुपितो द्रौणिरिन्द्रकेतुनिभां गदाम्
tataḥ sa kupito drauṇir indraketunibhāṃ gadām
Then Droṇa’s son, inflamed with anger, took up a mace that shone like Indra’s banner. The image heightens the scene’s martial intensity and warns of the ethical peril when wrath drives action in the aftermath of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can seize a warrior’s mind and propel him toward destructive choices; the dazzling comparison to Indra’s banner underscores power and prestige, but also warns that such power becomes ethically perilous when guided by rage rather than restraint.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, now furious, takes up a mace gleaming like Indra’s standard—an immediate preparation for violent action within the grim night-raid context of the Sauptika Parva.