Shloka 64
Sauptika Parva, Adhyaya 8 — Dhṛṣṭadyumna-vadha and the Camp’s Nocturnal Rout
शिलीमुखेन चान्येन भ्रुवोर्मध्ये समार्पयत् । तदनन्तर समस्त प्रभद्रकोंसहित बलवान् भीष्महन्ता शिखण्डी नाना प्रकारके अस्त्रोंद्वारा अश्वत्थामापर सब ओरसे प्रहार करने लगा तथा एक दूसरे बाणसे उसने उसकी दोनों भौंहोंके बीचमें आधात किया ।। ६३ ई ।। स तु क्रोधसमाविष्टो द्रोणपुत्रो महाबल:
śilīmukhena cānyena bhruvormadhye samārpayat | tadanantaraṃ samasta-prabhadraka-sa-hitaḥ balavān bhīṣma-hantā śikhaṇḍī nānā-prakārakaiḥ astraiḥ aśvatthāmāparaṃ sarvataḥ prahāraṃ kartum ārabdhavān tathā anyena bāṇena tasya ubhayor bhruvor madhye āhataḥ || 64 || sa tu krodha-samāviṣṭo droṇa-putro mahābalaḥ
With yet another śilīmukha arrow he struck him between the eyebrows. Thereafter the mighty Śikhaṇḍin—renowned as the slayer of Bhīṣma—together with the Prabhadrakas, assailed Aśvatthāman from every side with weapons of many kinds, and with another shaft he again hit him squarely between the brows. But Droṇa’s son, possessed by wrath and great in strength, did not yield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies conflict: even when struck and surrounded, the warrior’s wrath hardens resolve rather than restoring restraint. In the epic’s ethical frame, uncontrolled anger is a force that drives escalation and blinds judgment, especially in war.
Sañjaya describes Śikhaṇḍin, supported by the Prabhadrakas, launching a many-sided assault on Aśvatthāman and striking him between the eyebrows with a śilīmukha arrow. The closing phrase signals Aśvatthāman’s reaction: he is powerful and now seized by anger, setting up the next action.