Shloka 88
छादयामास समरे द्रोणपुत्रं परंतप: । फिर तो शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले भीमसेनने क्रोधमें भरे हुए विषधर सर्पोंके समान सैकड़ों तीखे बाणोंद्वारा समरांगणमें द्रोणपुत्र अश्वत्थामाको आच्छादित कर दिया ।। ८७३६ || ततो द्रौणिर्महातेजा: शरवर्ष निहत्य तम्
sañjaya uvāca |
chādayāmāsa samare droṇaputraṃ parantapaḥ |
krodhabhareṇa bhīmasenaḥ viṣadhara-sarpān iva śataśas tīkṣṇaiḥ śaraiḥ samara-aṅgaṇe droṇaputram aśvatthāmānam ācchādayat ||
Sanjaya said: In the thick of battle, Bhimasena—scorcher of his foes—overwhelmed Drona’s son Ashvatthama. Driven by wrath, he covered him on the battlefield with hundreds of razor-sharp arrows, like venomous serpents striking in a frenzy. The scene underscores how anger, once unleashed in war, turns prowess into a storm of violence that eclipses restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how wrath (krodha) intensifies violence in war: a warrior’s skill becomes a blinding barrage, suggesting that even justified martial duty can be ethically compromised when driven by uncontrolled anger.
Sanjaya describes Bhima, enraged, unleashing a dense shower of sharp arrows that ‘covers’ Ashvatthama on the battlefield, momentarily overpowering him through sheer volume and ferocity of attack.