Shloka 51
Nakula–Śakuni Duel and the Night Battle; Śikhaṇḍin–Kṛpa Engagement (नकुल-शकुनियुद्धं तथा रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
ततो भूरिश्रवा: क्रुद्धः सात्यकिं युद्धदुर्मद: । उद्यम्याभ्याहनद् राजन् मत्तो मत्तमिव द्विपम्,राजन! इसी समय क्रोधमें भरे हुए रणदुर्मद भूरिश्रवाने उद्योग करके सात्यकिपर उसी प्रकार आघात किया, जैसे एक मतवाला हाथी दूसरे मदोन्मत्त हाथीपर चोट करता है
tato bhūriśravāḥ kruddhaḥ sātyakiṃ yuddha-durmadaḥ | udyamyābhyāhanad rājan matto mattam iva dvipam ||
Sañjaya said: Then Bhūriśravas, inflamed with anger and intoxicated by the frenzy of battle, rose up and struck Sātyaki, O king—like one rut-maddened elephant battering another. The simile underscores how wrath and martial pride can turn combat into blind, overpowering violence, eclipsing restraint and right conduct.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) and battle-intoxication (yuddha-durmada) can overwhelm discernment, turning a warrior’s strength into uncontrolled force. The elephant simile warns that when pride and rage dominate, ethical restraint and dharma become difficult to uphold.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhūriśravas, enraged and carried away by the momentum of war, lifts his weapon and strikes Sātyaki with great force, likened to one rutting elephant attacking another.