Shloka 373
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 94: Sātyaki–Sudarśana Yuddha (सात्यकि–सुदर्शन युद्ध)
आजपघान भशं क्रुद्धस्तोत्रैरिव महाद्विपम् । तब अर्जुनने अत्यन्त कुपित होकर अंकुशोंसे महान् गजराजको पीड़ित करनेकी भाँति झुकी हुई गाँठवाले नब्बे बाणोंसे राजा श्रुतायुधको चोट पहुँचायी
ājapaghāna bhaśaṃ kruddhas tottrair iva mahādvipam | tadā arjunena atyantaṃ kupitaḥ aṅkuśair iva mahā-gajarājaṃ pīḍayituṃ yathā jhukī-baddha-gāṇṭhābhiḥ navati-bāṇaiḥ rājā śrutāyudhaḥ prahataḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Then Arjuna, inflamed with intense anger, struck King Śrutāyudha with ninety arrows whose joints were bent, as though he were goading and tormenting a mighty lord of elephants with sharp hooks. The image underscores the ferocity of the battlefield, where wrath turns skill into relentless pressure and a warrior’s power becomes an instrument of crushing restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger intensifies martial action: Arjuna’s skill becomes relentless pressure, likened to an elephant being driven by a goad. Ethically, it invites reflection on the danger of wrath in war—how even rightful combat can be colored by uncontrolled emotion, increasing cruelty and the urge to dominate rather than merely to fulfill duty.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna, furious, attacks King Śrutāyudha and wounds him with ninety arrows. The poet uses a vivid simile: Arjuna’s repeated strikes are like the painful prodding of a powerful elephant with hooks, conveying the intensity and force of the assault.