Shloka 21
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
इससे क्रोधमें भरे हुए राजा द्रपदने एक पानीदार पैने भल्लसे वृषसेनके धनुषके दो टुकड़े कर डाले
sanjaya uvāca | tataḥ krodhena saṃrabdho rājā drupado vṛṣasenasyāmbudharāṃ tīkṣṇāṃ bhallena dhanuḥ dvidhā cakarta |
Sanjaya said: Enraged, King Drupada, acting with swift resolve, struck with a sharp, gleaming bhalla-arrow and split Vrishasena’s bow into two. In the heat of battle, anger becomes a driving force that can yield decisive action, yet it also signals the moral peril of letting wrath govern one’s judgment.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger can produce swift, forceful results in conflict, but it also underscores an ethical warning: when wrath drives action, discernment and restraint—central to dharma—are endangered even if the act is tactically effective.
Sanjaya reports that Drupada, furious in the midst of battle, shoots a sharp bhalla-arrow and splits Vrishasena’s bow into two, disabling his immediate ability to fight effectively.