Shloka 2
स तु रुक्मरथासक्तो दुःशासनशरार्दित: । अमर्षात् तव पुत्रस्य शरैर्वाहानवाकिरत्
sa tu rukmarathāsakto duḥśāsanaśarārditaḥ | amarṣāt tava putrasya śarair vāhān avākirat |
स तु रुक्मरथासक्तो दुःशासनशरार्दितः। अमर्षात् तव पुत्रस्य शरैर्वाहानवाकिरत्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (amarṣa) in war can drive a fighter to seek advantage by disabling the opponent’s support system—here, the horses—rather than confronting the rival directly. It invites reflection on battlefield ethics: tactical success may come through such acts, yet they also show how wrath redirects violence toward vulnerable dependents (animals and equipment) and intensifies the cycle of retaliation.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior, already engaged with the fighter on a golden chariot and hurt by Duḥśāsana’s arrows, becomes enraged and responds by raining arrows upon the horses of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (a Kaurava prince, commonly Duryodhana in such narration), aiming to immobilize the chariot and gain an upper hand.