Shloka 31
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 19 — Saṃśaptaka–Trigarta Assault and Aindra-astra Counter
तमनतकमिव क्रुद्धमन्तकस्यान्तकोपमम् । ये ये ददृशिरे तत्र विसंज्ञा: प्रायशो5भवन्,यमराजके समान क्रोधमें भरा हुआ अश्वत्थामा उस समय कालका भी काल-सा जान पड़ता था। जिन-जिन लोगोंने वहाँ उसे देखा, वे प्रायः बेहोश हो गये
tam antakam iva kruddham antakasyāntakopamam | ye ye dadṛśire tatra visaṃjñāḥ prāyaśo 'bhavan ||
Sañjaya said: “Aśvatthāmā, inflamed with wrath, appeared there like Death itself—indeed, like the very slayer of Death. Nearly all who beheld him on that field were struck senseless, overwhelmed by terror at the destructive force his anger seemed to embody.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how uncontrolled anger can make a warrior appear as an embodiment of death, spreading panic and moral darkness around him. It implicitly warns that wrath, when ungoverned by dharma and restraint, becomes a destructive force that overwhelms both enemies and onlookers.
Sañjaya describes Aśvatthāmā on the battlefield in a state of intense rage. His presence is so terrifying—likened to Death itself—that most who see him lose consciousness, indicating the extreme dread and chaos his fury generates.