Shloka 24
Vāg-yuddha and Nimitta-darśana before the Gadāyuddha
Verbal Duel and Omens
सृक्किणी संलिहन् राजन् क्रोधरक्तेक्षण: श्वसन | ततो दुर्योधनो राजन् गदामादाय वीर्यवान्
sṛkkiṇī saṁlihan rājan krodha-rakte-kṣaṇaḥ śvasan | tato duryodhano rājan gadām ādāya vīryavān ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, licking the corners of his mouth, breathing hard, and with eyes reddened by anger, Duryodhana then—mighty in valor—took up his mace.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger manifests physically and propels one toward violent action; ethically, it foreshadows how unchecked wrath and pride drive Duryodhana deeper into destructive choices, a recurring Mahābhārata warning about krodha overwhelming discernment (viveka).
Sañjaya describes Duryodhana’s furious state—panting, red-eyed, licking his lips—and then narrates his immediate action: he seizes his mace, signaling readiness to engage in the climactic club-combat atmosphere of the Shalya Parva.