Shloka 26
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya
Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance
शरैरवचकर्तोंग्रै: क्रुद्धो 5न्तक इव प्रजा: । उस महायुद्धमें हाथियोंसहित सैकड़ों दूसरे योद्धाओंको क्रोधमें भरे हुए दुर्योधनने अपने भयंकर बाणोंद्वारा उसी प्रकार काट डाला, जैसे यमराज प्रजाका विनाश करते हैं ।। सा तेन पाण्डवी सेना वध्यमाना शिलीमुखै:
sañjaya uvāca | śarair avacakar toṅgraiḥ kruddho ’ntaka iva prajāḥ | tasmin mahāyuddhe hastibhiḥ saha saikadho ’nye yodhāḥ krodhāmarṣa-samanvitaḥ duryodhanaḥ svair bhīṣaṇaiḥ śaraiḥ tathā ciccheda yathā yamaḥ prajāḥ kṣapayati || sā tena pāṇḍavī senā vadhyamānā śilimukhaiḥ ... |
Sañjaya berkata: Dalam pertempuran besar itu, Duryodhana yang murka menebas para pahlawan—berserta gajah—dengan anak panahnya yang tajam dan menggerunkan, bagaikan Yama, Dewa Maut, memusnahkan makhluk hidup. Maka bala tentera Pāṇḍava pun dibunuh oleh anak panahnya yang berduri, lalu hancur dan menderita.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unchecked anger (krodha) in war turns a warrior into an agent of indiscriminate destruction, likened to Yama. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning that wrath and pride eclipse discernment and magnify suffering, even when actions are framed within kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana, inflamed with rage, is cutting down large numbers of Pāṇḍava fighters, including elephant-units, with terrifying arrows. The Pāṇḍava army is described as being slain by his śilimukha shafts, conveying a moment of severe pressure and devastation on their side.