Shloka 184
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
अश्वत्थामा सुसंक्रुद्ध: संधायोग्रमजिह्मृगम् । मुमोचाकर्णपूर्णेन धनुषा शरमुत्तमम्
aśvatthāmā susaṃkruddhaḥ saṃdhāyogram ajihmṛgam | mumocākārṇapūrṇena dhanuṣā śaram uttamam ||
Sañjaya said: Ashvatthāmā, inflamed with fierce anger, set an unerring, formidable arrow and, drawing his bow to the ear in full measure, released that excellent shaft—an act driven by wrath in the brutal momentum of war, where skill and passion together shape the moral peril of violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can intensify violence even when paired with great skill; in dharmic reflection, mastery in action is ethically dangerous when driven by wrath rather than restraint and right purpose.
Sañjaya describes Ashvatthāmā, furious in battle, carefully aiming an unerring, powerful arrow and releasing it from a fully drawn bow—signaling an imminent, decisive strike.