Shloka 393
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
चुकोप समरे द्रौणिर्दण्डाहत इवोरग: । महारथी सुरथको क्रोधपूर्वक आक्रमण करते देख अश्वत्थामा समरमें डंडेकी चोट खाये हुए सर्पके समान अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठा
cukopa samare drauṇir daṇḍāhata ivoragaḥ | mahārathī surathako krodhapūrvakam ākramaṇaṃ karte dekh aśvatthāmā samareṃ daṇḍe kī coṭ khāye hue sarpa ke samān atyanta kupita ho uṭhā |
Sañjaya dit : Au cœur du combat, Aśvatthāmā, fils de Droṇa, s’embrasa de colère, tel un serpent frappé d’un bâton. Voyant le grand combattant de char Suratha fondre sur lui avec fureur, Aśvatthāmā se dressa sur le champ de bataille, sa rage à son comble ; et cette colère conduisit sa riposte dans l’élan d’une guerre qui brise les règles de la morale.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can rapidly intensify conflict: once provoked, a warrior’s mind may become reactive like a wounded serpent. Ethically, it warns that wrath-driven action narrows discernment and can push warfare toward excess, even when framed within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya narrates that Surathaka, an elite chariot-warrior, launches a furious attack. Witnessing this, Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) becomes violently enraged in the battle, compared to a serpent struck by a staff—signaling imminent, fierce retaliation.