Shloka 13
Devanagari script
मत्तमातड्रसंकाशा लोहिताक्षा विभीषणा:
Transliteration
mattamātaṅga-saṅkāśā lohitākṣā vibhīṣaṇāḥ
Translation
Sañjaya said: They appeared like intoxicated elephants—red-eyed and terrifying—an image that heightens the dread and moral gravity of the battlefield, where unchecked fury and martial frenzy eclipse restraint and compassion.
Word by Word
मत्तintoxicated, frenzied
मत्त:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमत्त
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
मातङ्ग-संकाशाःresembling elephants
मातङ्ग-संकाशाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootमातङ्ग-संकाश
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
लोहित-अक्षाःred-eyed
लोहित-अक्षाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootलोहित-अक्ष
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
विभीषणाःterrifying, dreadful
विभीषणाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootविभीषण
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
Speaker
संजय उवाच
Characters & Entities
S
SañjayaCharacter Dynamics
Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)
War Context
Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)
Philosophical Teaching
Political Layer
Geographic Context
Cross References
Meter (Chandas)
Sandhi Notes
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a vivid simile—maddened elephants—to warn how war inflames the mind: when anger and bloodlust dominate, people become fearsome and lose the balance of dharma (self-restraint, compassion, and discernment).
Sañjaya is describing the appearance and demeanor of fighters on the battlefield: they look red-eyed and dreadful, like rut-maddened elephants, emphasizing the terror and intensity of the ongoing combat in Droṇa Parva.