Shloka 256
Rajo-dhūli-saṃmūḍha-saṅgrāmaḥ
The Dust-Obscured Battle and Mutual Charges
शड्ख: क्रोधात् प्रजज्वाल हविषा हव्यवाडिव । विराटके सेनापति श्वेतको मारा गया और राजा शल्यको कृतवर्माके साथ रथपर बैठा हुआ देख शंख क्रोधसे जल उठा, मानो अग्निमें घीकी आहुति पड़ गयी हो
sañjaya uvāca | śaṅkhaḥ krodhāt prajajvāla haviṣā havyavāḍ iva | virāṭake senāpatiṃ śvetakaṃ māraṇāgataṃ ca rājānaṃ śalyaṃ kṛtavarmāṇā saha rathopaviṣṭaṃ dṛṣṭvā śaṅkhaḥ krodhena jajvāla, yathāgnau ghṛtāhutiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Śaṅkha menyala-nyala kerana murka, bagaikan api korban yang disuap persembahan ghee. Melihat Śvetaka, panglima bala Virāṭa, telah terbunuh, dan melihat Raja Śalya duduk di atas kereta perang bersama Kṛtavarmā, amarah Śaṅkha pun berkobar—seolah-olah minyak suci dicurahkan ke dalam nyala api.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger can be rapidly intensified by provocative sights—here, the fall of a leader and the sight of key warriors aligned together. The sacrificial-fire simile suggests that emotions, like fire, grow stronger when ‘fed’; ethically, it warns that unchecked krodha can drive escalation in war and cloud discernment about dharma.
Sañjaya reports that the warrior Śaṅkha becomes fiercely enraged upon seeing Śvetaka, the commander connected with Virāṭa, slain, and upon noticing King Śalya seated on a chariot with Kṛtavarmā. This sight triggers Śaṅkha’s wrath, described through the image of fire flaring when ghee is poured into it.