Shloka 5
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya
Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance
वारणाश्न महाराज समासाद्य परस्परम् । विषाणैर्दारयामासु: सुसंक़्रुद्धा मदोत्कटा:
vāraṇāś ca mahārāja samāsādya parasparam | viṣāṇair dārayāmāsuḥ susaṅkruddhā madotkaṭāḥ ||
Wahai Raja Agung, para gajah saling mendekat; dengan amarah menyala dan liar oleh mabuk musth, mereka merobek dan mengoyak satu sama lain dengan gadingnya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger and intoxication (mada) overpower discernment, turning strength into destructive frenzy; it implicitly warns that unchecked passions magnify suffering in war.
Sañjaya describes war-elephants rushing together and goring each other with tusks, driven by intense rage and rut, emphasizing the ferocity and chaos of the battlefield.