Shloka 28
अध्याय ९९ — युयुधान-दुःशासन-युद्धम्
Chapter 99: Sātyaki and Duḥśāsana’s engagement
यथा श्येनस्य पतन वनेष्वामिषगृद्धिन: । तथैवासीदभीसारस्तस्य द्रोणं जिघांसत:
yathā śyenasyā patanaṁ vaneṣv āmiṣa-gṛddhinaḥ | tathaivāsīd abhīsāras tasya droṇaṁ jighāṁsataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Just as a hawk swoops down in the forest, driven by hunger for flesh, so too was his charge—an impetuous rush born of the intent to slay Droṇa. The image underscores how, in the heat of war, purpose can harden into predatory single-mindedness, eclipsing restraint and deliberation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how intense desire—here, the will to kill—can narrow perception into predatory focus, like a hawk diving for prey. Ethically, it cautions that in war, intention (saṅkalpa) can overpower restraint, making action swift but morally perilous.
Sañjaya describes a warrior’s sudden, forceful advance toward Droṇa, comparing it to a hawk’s plunge in the forest when it craves flesh. The simile emphasizes speed, inevitability, and lethal intent directed at Droṇa.