Shloka 14
हताश्वे तु रथे तिष्तन् शतानीको महारथः । गदां चिक्षेप संक्रुद्धस्तव पुत्रस्य मारिष,मान्यवर! महारथी शतानीकने कुपित होकर अपने अश्वहीन रथपर खड़े रहकर ही आपके पुत्रके ऊपर गदाका प्रहार किया
hatāśve tu rathe tiṣṭhan śatānīko mahārathaḥ | gadāṃ cikṣepa saṃkruddhas tava putrasya māriṣa ||
Sañjaya said: Then the great chariot-warrior Śatānīka, standing upon his chariot now bereft of horses, hurled a mace in anger at your son. In the moral atmosphere of the battle, the verse highlights how wrath can drive a warrior to sudden, forceful action even amid disadvantage, intensifying the cycle of retaliation that characterizes the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse implicitly warns that anger (krodha) can override prudence: even when disadvantaged (a horseless chariot), a warrior may act impulsively, escalating conflict. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s broader ethical concern that unchecked wrath fuels destructive cycles of vengeance.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śatānīka, though standing on a chariot whose horses have been killed, becomes enraged and hurls a mace at Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son during the battle.