Shloka 43
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
उस बाणसे वह गहराईतक बिंध गया और व्यथित होकर रथके पिछले भागमें जा बैठा। इधर राक्षसराज घटोत्कच अत्यन्त क्रोधसे आविष्ट हो रथपर बैठा रहा ।। चिक्षेप निशितांस्तीक्ष्णा्छरनाशीविषोपमान् । बिभिदुस्ते महाराज शल्यं युद्धविशारदम्,महाराज! रथपर बैठे-ही-बैठे उसने विषधर सर्पोके समान अत्यन्त तीखे बाण चलाये। उन बाणोंने युद्धविशारद राजा शल्यको पूर्णरूपसे घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
cikṣepa niśitāṁs tīkṣṇāñ charān āśīviṣopamān |
bibhidus te mahārāja śalyaṁ yuddhaviśāradam ||
Sanjaya said: Seated upon his chariot and seized by fierce wrath, the rākṣasa-king Ghaṭotkaca hurled razor-sharp arrows, like venomous serpents. Those shafts, O King, struck and grievously wounded Śalya, the seasoned master of war. The scene underscores how anger in battle amplifies violence and suffering, even for the most skilled, and how the momentum of war can overwhelm individual prowess.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wrath (krodha) intensifies destructive action in war: even a renowned expert like Śalya can be overwhelmed when violence escalates. It implicitly cautions that anger magnifies harm and accelerates the cycle of retaliation.
Sanjaya reports that Ghaṭotkaca, seated on his chariot and enraged, shoots extremely sharp arrows likened to venomous snakes; these arrows pierce and severely wound the warrior-king Śalya.