Shloka 42
Somadatta–Sātyaki Engagement; Bhīma’s Interventions; Droṇa–Yudhiṣṭhira Astra Exchange
Book 7, Chapter 132
ततः स हेमचित्रं तं गदया स्यन्दनं गदी । संक्रुद्ध/ पोथयामास साश्वसूतध्वजं नृप,नरेश्वर! तदनन्तर अत्यन्त कुपित हुए गदाधारी दुर्योधनने घोड़े, सारथि और ध्वजसहित उस सुवर्णजटित सुन्दर रथको गदाके आघातसे चूर-चूर कर दिया
tataḥ sa hemacitraṃ taṃ gadayā syandanaṃ gadī | saṃkruddhaḥ pothayāmāsa sāśvasūtadhvajaṃ nṛpa, nareśvara |
Then the mace-bearing warrior, inflamed with rage, struck that splendid chariot inlaid with gold with his mace and smashed it to pieces—together with its horses, charioteer, and banner. In the moral atmosphere of the war, the verse underscores how wrath (krodha) drives combatants beyond restraint, turning the battlefield into a scene where not only opponents but also the supports of life—men, animals, and emblems—are violently destroyed.
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger (saṃkrodha/krodha) escalates destruction in war: rage does not merely target an enemy but annihilates everything connected—horses, charioteer, and the emblematic banner—showing the ethical cost of passion overriding restraint.
Droṇa describes a mace-wielding fighter who, in extreme fury, strikes a gold-adorned chariot with his mace and crushes it completely, along with its horses, charioteer, and banner.