Mahabharata — Shalya Parva, Shloka 63
गर्हयन् पाण्डवं ज्येष्ठं नि:श्वस्पेदमथाब्रवीत् । राजन्! जब कौरव-नरेशकी जाँघें टूट गयीं तब वह धरतीपर गिरकर धूलमें सन गया। फिर बिखरे हुए बालोंको समेटता हुआ वहाँ दसों दिशाओंकी ओर देखने लगा। बड़े प्रयत्नसे अपने बालोंको बाँधकर सर्पके समान फुफकारते हुए उसने रोष और आँसुओंसे भरे हुए नेत्रोंद्वारा मेरी ओर देखा। इसके बाद दोनों भुजाओंको पृथ्वीपर रगड़कर मदोन्मत्त गजराजके समान अपने बिखरे केशोंको हिलाता
sañjaya uvāca |
garhayan pāṇḍavaṃ jyeṣṭhaṃ niḥśvaspedam athābravīt |
Sañjaya said: Condemning the eldest of the Pāṇḍavas, he heaved deep sighs and then spoke. When the Kaurava king’s thighs were shattered and he fell into the dust, he gathered his dishevelled hair, looked about in all ten directions, and—binding his hair with effort—hissed like a serpent. With eyes swollen with rage and tears he glanced toward me; then, rubbing both arms on the earth like an intoxicated lordly elephant, shaking his loose locks, grinding his teeth, and censuring Yudhiṣṭhira, the eldest Pāṇḍava, he drew breath and spoke as follows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked rage and humiliation after defeat distort judgment, turning grief into blame. It implicitly contrasts dharma-guided restraint with the corrosive ethics of resentment in war’s aftermath.
Sañjaya describes a defeated Kaurava leader (implied Duryodhana) lying in dust after his thighs are broken, composing himself with difficulty, hissing in fury, and preparing to speak while condemning Yudhiṣṭhira.