Shloka 40
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
चतुर्भिरथ नाराचैरावन्त्यस्य महात्मन: । जघान चतुरो वाहान् क्रोधसंरक्तलोचन:,इसके बाद क्रोधसे लाल आँखें करके घटोत्कचने चार नाराचोंद्वारा महामना अवन्न्तीनरेशके चारों घोड़ोंको मार डाला
caturbhir atha nārācair āvantyasya mahātmanaḥ | jaghāna caturo vāhān krodha-saṃrakta-locanaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Then, with four iron-shafted arrows, the fierce warrior—his eyes reddened with anger—struck down the four horses of the noble king of Avanti. The episode underscores how wrath, once unleashed in battle, drives combatants to decisive, disabling blows that turn the tide through the destruction of an opponent’s mobility rather than a direct kill.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) manifests outwardly and fuels ruthless efficiency in war—here, disabling an enemy by killing the horses. Ethically, it points to the destructive momentum of wrath and the grim logic of battlefield duty where strategic harm replaces restraint.
In Sanjaya’s battlefield report, a warrior with eyes reddened by anger uses four nārāca arrows to kill the four horses of the Avanti king’s chariot, effectively immobilizing him and shifting the immediate tactical advantage.