Shloka 35
Adhyāya 86: Irāvān’s Lineage, Cavalry Clash, and the Māyā-Duel Ending in Irāvān’s Fall
तस्य प्राग्ज्योतिष: क्रुद्धस्तोमरांश्व चतुर्दश । प्रेषयामास समरे तांश्षिच्छेद स राक्षस:
tasya prāgjyotiṣaḥ kruddhas tomarāṁś caturdaśa | preṣayāmāsa samare tāṁś ciccheda sa rākṣasaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged, the lord of Prāgjyotiṣa hurled fourteen iron javelins in the thick of battle; but that Rākṣasa cut them down. The episode underscores how wrath drives escalation in war, while presence of mind and skill can neutralize even a sudden, forceful assault.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) intensifies violence in battle, yet disciplined alertness and capability can check an opponent’s wrath-driven strike; ethically, it points to the danger of rage as a motive and the value of steadiness under attack.
Bhagadatta, the king of Prāgjyotiṣa, angrily throws fourteen javelins at his foe in the battlefield, but the opposing Rākṣasa intercepts them by cutting them down before they can take effect.