Shloka 23
अमोघशक्तिव्यंसनप्रश्नः — Why Karṇa’s Śakti Was Not Used on Arjuna
कलिड्लनां तु त॑ शूरं क्रुद्ध क़ुद्धो वृकोदर: । रथाद् रथमभिद्रुत्य मुष्टिनाभिजघान ह,क्रोधमें भरे हुए कलिंग देशके उस शूरवीरको कुपित हुए भीमसेनने अपने रथसे उसके रथपर कूदकर मुक्केसे मारा
kaliṅgānāṃ tu taṃ śūraṃ kruddhaḥ kruddho vṛkodaraḥ | rathād ratham abhidrutya muṣṭinābhijaghāna ha ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged, Vṛkodara (Bhīma) rushed from his own chariot onto the chariot of that valiant warrior of the Kaliṅgas and struck him with his fist. The scene underscores how, amid the fury of battle, personal wrath drives direct, bodily combat—an escalation where strength and anger momentarily eclipse restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can intensify violence and lead to close-quarters, personal assault even within a regulated battlefield. It implicitly warns that while a warrior may act within the demands of war, unchecked wrath narrows judgment and pushes one toward harsher, more impulsive action.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma (Vṛkodara), furious in battle, leaping from his own chariot onto the chariot of a brave Kaliṅga fighter and striking him with a fist-blow—an immediate, forceful act of hand-to-hand aggression amid chariot warfare.