Shloka 41
भीष्मस्य अप्रतिमपराक्रमः — शिखण्डिपुरस्कृतः प्रहारः
Bhīṣma’s unmatched momentum and the assault with Śikhaṇḍin in the lead
तस्य क़रुद्धो महाराज पाण्डव: शत्रुतापन: । अप्रैषीद् विशिखान् घोरान् यमदण्डोपमान् बहून्,महाराज! तब शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनने कुपित हो दुःशासनपर यमदण्डके समान भयंकर बहुत-से बाण चलाये
tasya kruddho mahārāja pāṇḍavaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ | apraiṣīd viśikhān ghorān yamadaṇḍopamān bahūn ||
Sañjaya said: O King, then the Pāṇḍava Arjuna—scorcher of foes—angered at him, discharged many dreadful arrows, comparable to Yama’s rod of punishment, against Duḥśāsana. The verse underscores how wrath on the battlefield turns into decisive, punitive force, framed in the epic’s moral universe where violent action is portrayed as retribution within war’s grim necessity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger in war can become a force of punishment, expressed through the image of Yama’s rod. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s tension: righteous duty in battle may require harsh action, yet it is still driven by powerful inner emotions like krodha that must be understood and governed.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, enraged, shoots many fearsome arrows at Duḥśāsana, likening their deadly force to Yama’s staff—signaling an intense escalation in the combat.