Shloka 21
दुर्योधनके प्रहारसे अत्यन्त घायल हुए महाथधनुर्धर धृष्टद्युम्न अंकुशसे पीड़ित हुए हाथीके समान कुपित हो उठे और उन्होंने अपने बाणोंद्वारा उसके चारों घोड़ोंको मौतके हवाले कर दिया तथा एक भल्लसे उसके सारथिका भी सिर धड़से काट लिया
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhana-prāhāreṇātyanta-ghāyalo mahā-dhanurdharaḥ dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ aṅkuśa-pīḍita iva hastī kupito babhūva | sa ca svabāṇaiḥ tasya catvāro 'śvān mṛtyu-lokaṃ nināya, ekēna bhallena ca tasya sārathēḥ śiraḥ kāyāt apāharat |
Sanjaya said: Struck hard by Duryodhana, the great archer Dhrishtadyumna—though grievously wounded—flared up in wrath like an elephant tormented by the goad. With his arrows he sent Duryodhana’s four horses to their death, and with a single broad-headed shaft he severed the charioteer’s head from the body. The passage underscores how, in the moral chaos of war, injury and anger can swiftly escalate violence, drawing even renowned warriors into ruthless retaliation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how pain and provocation can ignite wrath, and how anger in war rapidly intensifies harm. It implicitly warns that even celebrated warriors may commit severe acts when driven by retaliation, illustrating the ethical deterioration that prolonged conflict can produce.
After being badly wounded by Duryodhana’s attack, Dhrishtadyumna becomes furious like a goaded elephant. He shoots down Duryodhana’s four horses and then, with a single broad-headed arrow, beheads the charioteer.