Shloka 33
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
ते तस्य कवचं भित्त्वा पपु: शोणितमाहवे,(यथैव पन्नगा राजंस्तटाकं तृषितास्तथा ।) वे नाराच रणक्षेत्रमें दःशासनका कवच विदीर्ण करके उसका रक्त पीने लगे, मानो प्यासे सर्प तालाबमें घुस गये हों
te tasya kavacaṁ bhittvā papuḥ śoṇitam āhave, yathaiva pannagā rājan taṭākaṁ tṛṣitās tathā
Sañjaya said: Having shattered his armour in the thick of battle, they drank his blood—just as thirsty serpents, O king, enter a pond. The image underscores the war’s descent into ruthless ferocity, where the usual bounds of kṣatriya conduct are eclipsed by vengeance and the frenzy of slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can erode ethical restraint: the comparison to thirsty serpents conveys a loss of human moderation and a turn toward predatory violence, warning that vengeance and rage can overwhelm dharmic limits even among warriors.
In Sañjaya’s report to the king, certain fighters pierce and shatter a warrior’s armour on the battlefield and drink his blood; the act is likened to thirsty snakes entering a pond, emphasizing the scene’s savage intensity.