Shloka 18
सिन्धुराजवधेनेमे घटोत्कचवधेन ते । अमर्षिता: सुसंक्रुद्धा रणं चक्र: कथं निशि,सिंधुराज जयद्रथके वधसे अमर्षमें भरे हुए कौरवों तथा घटोत्कचके मारे जानेसे अत्यन्त कुपित हुए पाण्डवोंने रात्रिमें किस प्रकार युद्ध किया?
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca |
sindhurājavadhene me ghaṭotkacavadhena te |
amarṣitāḥ susaṁkruddhā raṇaṁ cakruḥ kathaṁ niśi ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra berkata: “Sesudah raja Sindhu (Jayadratha) terbunuh, kaum Kaurava dipenuhi amarah yang tak tertahankan; dan sesudah Ghaṭotkaca gugur, para Pāṇḍava menyala oleh murka yang dahsyat—bagaimana mereka bertempur pada malam hari?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how grief and outrage can intensify conflict, pushing warriors beyond ordinary limits (even into night-fighting). It frames the ethical tension in war: emotions like amarṣa (indignant resentment) and krodha (anger) can drive action, yet they also deepen the cycle of retaliation that dharma struggles to restrain.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya to explain how the Pāṇḍavas continued fighting at night after two major deaths: Jayadratha (the Sindhu king) and Ghaṭotkaca. The question points to the extraordinary, chaotic conditions of the war’s later phase, when rage and urgency overrode normal battlefield conventions.