Shloka 100
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
इत्युक्त्वा क्रोधताम्राक्षो राक्षस: सुमहाबल: । द्रौणिमभ्यद्रवत् क्रुद्धो गजेन्द्रमिव केसरी,ऐसा कहकर क्रोधसे लाल आँखें किये महाबली राक्षस घटोत्कचने द्रोणपुत्रपर रोषपूर्वक धावा किया, मानो सिंहने गजराजपर आक्रमण किया हो
ity uktvā krodha-tāmrākṣo rākṣasaḥ su-mahā-balaḥ | drauṇim abhyadravat kruddho gajendram iva kesarī ||
Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, the mighty rākṣasa, his eyes reddened with anger, rushed in fury toward Drona’s son (Aśvatthāman), like a lion charging a lordly elephant. The verse underscores how wrath, once unleashed in war, drives combatants into direct, overpowering confrontation, where strength and ferocity eclipse restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger manifests outwardly (red eyes) and propels decisive, often reckless action in battle; it implicitly warns that wrath can dominate judgment, turning conflict into a contest of sheer force rather than restraint or discernment.
After speaking, the powerful rākṣasa (understood in context as Ghaṭotkaca) charges furiously at Drona’s son Aśvatthāman; the poet intensifies the scene with a simile: a lion rushing upon a great elephant.