Shloka 56
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 22 — Draupadī’s Abduction Attempt and Bhīma’s Suppression of the Kīcakas
तत: समुद्यम्य भुजी पञ्चशीर्षाविवोरगौ । नखदंष्टाभिरन्योन्यं घ्नत: क्रोधविषोद्धतौ
tataḥ samudyamya bhujī pañcaśīrṣāv ivoragau | nakhadaṃṣṭābhir anyonyaṃ ghnataḥ krodhaviṣoddhatau ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, raising their arms, the two—like five-hooded serpents roused by the poison of wrath—struck at one another, each attacking the other with nails and teeth, driven on by anger.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the metaphor of serpents intoxicated by poison to show how anger functions like a toxin: it inflames the mind, strips away restraint, and turns human strength (raised arms) into instruments of harm. Ethically, it warns that unchecked krodha leads to mutual injury and loss of discernment.
The narrator describes a physical clash: two combatants raise their arms and, in a frenzy of wrath, attack each other at close quarters, clawing and biting—likened to five-hooded serpents striking in mutual rage.