Shloka 19
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
खरोष्टमहिषा: सिंहा व्याप्रा: सूमरचित्रका: । ऋक्षा: शालावृका गृध्रा: कपयश्न सरीसूपा:,गदहे, ऊँट, भैंसे, सिंह, व्याप्र, रोझ, चीते, रीक्ष, कुत्ते, गीध, बन्दर, साँप तथा नाना प्रकारके भूखे राक्षस एवं भाँति-भाँतिके पक्षी अत्यन्त कुपित हो अर्जुनपर धावा करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | kharoṣṭa-mahiṣāḥ siṃhā vyāghrāḥ sūmara-citrakāḥ | ṛkṣāḥ śālā-vṛkā gṛdhrāḥ kapayaś ca sarīsṛpāḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Keledai dan unta, kerbau, singa dan harimau, serta binatang-binatang beraneka rupa dan berbintik; beruang, serigala hutan, burung nasar, kera, dan segala yang melata—mereka dan banyak makhluk buas lain yang lapar, menyala oleh amarah, menerjang maju untuk menyerbu Arjuna.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses predatory, chaotic imagery to highlight how war distorts the moral and natural order: when violence dominates, the world is pictured as turning hostile and ravenous, warning of the ethical degradation that accompanies unchecked fury.
Sañjaya describes a terrifying surge of fierce animals and scavengers—lions, tigers, jackals, vultures, and reptiles—rushing to attack Arjuna, functioning as vivid battlefield/omen imagery within the Drona Parva narration.