Shloka 11
अध्याय ३१ — द्रोणानीके तुमुलसंग्रामः
The Tumultuous Battle around Droṇa’s Formation
ते त्वमर्षवशं प्राप्ता हवीमन्त: सत्त्वचोदिता: । त्यक्त्वा प्राणान् न्यवर्तन्त घ्नन्तो द्रोणं महाहवे,पाण्डव लज्जाशील, सत्त्वगुणसे प्रेरित और अमर्षके अधीन हो रहे थे। वे प्राणोंकी परवा न करके उस महान् समरमें द्रोणाचार्यका वध करनेके लिये लौट रहे थे
te tv amarṣavaśaṃ prāptā havīmantaḥ sattvacoditāḥ | tyaktvā prāṇān nyavartanta ghnanto droṇaṃ mahāhave ||
Sañjaya said: Driven by the impulse of sattva and carried away by fierce indignation, they turned back—reckoning their lives as already forsaken—to strike down Droṇa in that great battle. The verse frames their return not as mere aggression but as a morally charged resolve born of shame, restraint, and a surge of righteous anger within the brutal demands of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how inner qualities (sattva) can fuel steadfast courage, yet in war that courage may manifest through intense indignation (amarṣa). It invites reflection on the ethical tension between righteous resolve and the destructive momentum of anger, especially within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports that the warriors, stirred by moral fervor and overpowering indignation, return to the battlefield without regard for their own lives, intent on killing Droṇa amid the great combat.