Shloka 13

Devanagari script

मत्तमातड्रसंकाशा लोहिताक्षा विभीषणा:

Transliteration

mattamātaṅga-saṅkāśā lohitākṣā vibhīṣaṇāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ils semblaient tels des éléphants ivres—aux yeux rouges, terrifiants—image qui accroît l’effroi et la gravité morale du champ de bataille, où la fureur déchaînée et la frénésie guerrière éclipsent la retenue et la compassion.

Word by Word

मत्तintoxicated, frenzied

मातङ्ग-संकाशाःresembling elephants

लोहित-अक्षाःred-eyed

विभीषणाःterrifying, dreadful

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse uses a vivid simile—maddened elephants—to warn how war inflames the mind: when anger and bloodlust dominate, people become fearsome and lose the balance of dharma (self-restraint, compassion, and discernment).

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing the appearance and demeanor of fighters on the battlefield: they look red-eyed and dreadful, like rut-maddened elephants, emphasizing the terror and intensity of the ongoing combat in Droṇa Parva.