Shloka 61
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance
तं तु नानाप्रहरणैर्नानायुद्धविशेषणै: । राक्षसं राक्षस: क्रुद्ध: समाजघ्ने हुलम्बुष:
taṃ tu nānā-praharaṇair nānā-yuddha-viśeṣaṇaiḥ | rākṣasaṃ rākṣasaḥ kruddhaḥ samājaghne hulambuṣaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Enraged, the rākṣasa Hulambuṣa struck down that rākṣasa with a variety of weapons and diverse modes of combat. The scene underscores the war’s brutal reciprocity—wrath answering wrath—where prowess and rage, rather than restraint, drive the encounter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger in war multiplies violence: wrath becomes the immediate motive, and combat turns into reciprocal destruction. Ethically, it points to the peril of kruddha-bhāva (rage) overriding discernment, even among formidable warriors.
Sañjaya reports that Hulambuṣa, a rākṣasa fighter, becomes enraged and attacks another rākṣasa, striking him down using many kinds of weapons and varied combat techniques—depicting a fierce, close-quarters clash within the broader Kurukṣetra war.