Shloka 29
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ततः शल्यो रणे राजन् सर्वास्तान् दशभि: शरै: | विव्याध भृशसंक्रुद्धस्तोत्रिरिव महाद्विपान्,राजन्! तब राजा शल्य रणभूमिमें अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे और जैसे महावत अंकुशोंसे बड़े-बड़े हाथियोंको चोट पहुँचाते हैं, उसी प्रकार उन्होंने उन सब योद्धाओंको दस बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
tataḥ śalyo raṇe rājan sarvāstā́n daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ | vivyādha bhṛśa-saṅkruddhas totrir iva mahādvipān ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Śalya—fiercely enraged in the midst of battle—pierced all those warriors with ten arrows each, like a mahout striking great elephants with a goad.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (saṅkrodha) intensifies destructive action: martial competence, when driven by wrath, becomes repetitive and indiscriminate injury. It implicitly warns that inner states shape the ethical quality of outward deeds, even within the sphere of kṣatriya warfare.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śalya, inflamed with rage on the battlefield, strikes the opposing warriors with ten arrows each. The comparison to a mahout prodding elephants conveys forceful control and repeated blows.