Shloka 12
सो5तिविद्धो<र्जुनशरै: सुपुड्खै: कड्कपत्रिभि: | भगदत्तस्ततः क्रुद्ध: पाण्डवस्य जनाधिप:,अर्जुनके कंकपत्रयुक्त सुन्दर पाँखवाले बाणोंद्वारा अत्यन्त घायल हो राजा भगदत्त उन पाण्डुपुत्रपर कुपित हो उठे
so 'tividdho 'rjunaśaraiḥ supuṅkhaiḥ kaṅkapatribhiḥ | bhagadattas tataḥ kruddhaḥ pāṇḍavasya janādhipaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Struck again and again by Arjuna’s arrows—well-feathered and fitted with vulture-plumes—King Bhagadatta, the ruler of men, became enraged at the Pāṇḍava (Arjuna). In the moral atmosphere of the war, the verse highlights how physical injury and wounded pride can inflame wrath, pushing a warrior-king toward harsher retaliation rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly warns how quickly anger (krodha) can arise from pain and humiliation in conflict. Even a king, expected to act with steadiness, can be driven by wrath—an ethical pressure-point in the Mahābhārata where inner discipline is tested amid battle.
During the fighting, Bhagadatta is severely wounded by Arjuna’s well-fletched arrows. In response, he becomes furious at Arjuna (the Pāṇḍava), setting up an escalation in their combat.