Shloka 57
Adhyāya 33: Rauhiṇeya (Balarāma) is welcomed and takes his seat to witness the gadā-engagement
उन्मत्तमिव मातज्ुं तलशब्देन मानवा: । भूय: संहर्षयामासू राजन् दुर्योधनं नृपम्
unmattam iva mātaṅgaṃ talaśabdena mānavāḥ | bhūyaḥ saṃharṣayāmāsu rājann duryodhanaṃ nṛpam ||
O King, just as people provoke a musth elephant by clapping loudly, so they repeatedly struck their palms and, by that din, further inflamed King Duryodhana’s martial exhilaration and eagerness for battle—an image of how public acclaim can feed reckless pride at the edge of dharma’s limits.
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse cautions that external applause and group encouragement can intensify a warrior’s intoxication with power and conflict, pushing him toward rash action; ethical discernment (dharma) must not be surrendered to the crowd’s excitement.
Onlookers or attendants repeatedly clap and make a loud commotion, thereby heightening Duryodhana’s battle-joy and zeal—likened to how a musth elephant is roused and provoked by loud clapping.