Shloka 18
सतु बद्धाड्गुलित्राणो नैषादिर्दूढविक्रम: । अतिमानी वनचरो बभौ राम इवापर:,सुदृढ़ पराक्रमसे सम्पन्न अत्यन्त अभिमानी एकलव्य जब हाथोंमें दस्ताने पहनकर वनमें विचरता, उस समय दूसरे परशुरामके समान जान पड़ता था
sa tu baddhāṅgulitrāṇo naiṣādir dūḍhavikramaḥ | atimānī vanacaro babhau rāma ivāparaḥ ||
But that Niṣāda-born warrior, Ekalavya—of firm and proven prowess—would roam the forest wearing finger-guards; in his overbearing pride he appeared like another Rāma (Paraśurāma). The verse frames his martial discipline and self-assertion as impressive yet ethically precarious, hinting that unchecked pride can distort the use of strength.
श्रीवायुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes disciplined martial capability with excessive pride: strength and skill can be admirable, but when driven by arrogance they become ethically unstable and potentially destructive.
Vāyudeva describes Ekalavya as a formidable forest-ranging archer wearing protective finger-guards, whose proud bearing makes him seem like a second Paraśurāma.