Shloka 6
बाहू धरण्यां निष्पिष्य सुदुर्मत्त इव द्विप: । प्रकीर्णान् मूर्थजान् धुन्वन् दन्तैर्दन्तानुपस्पृशन्
bāhū dharaṇyāṁ niṣpiṣya sudurmatta iva dvipaḥ | prakīrṇān mūrthajān dhunvan dantair dantān upaspṛśan
சஞ்சயன் கூறினான்—வெறிபிடித்த யானைபோல் அவன் தன் கரங்களை நிலத்தில் அழுத்தி நசுக்கினான்; சிதறிய தலைமுடியை உலுக்கி, பற்களைப் பற்களோடு அரைத்தான்.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the psychological devastation of war: even powerful warriors can be reduced to uncontrolled, self-harming expressions of grief and rage. Ethically, it points to the inner cost of adharma-driven conflict—violence rebounds as suffering within the victor and the vanquished alike.
Sañjaya describes a warrior (implied from context) overwhelmed by emotion on the battlefield: he throws himself down, presses his arms into the ground, shakes his disordered hair, and grinds his teeth—likened to a frenzied elephant.