Shloka 7
अध्याय ५३ — रणमेघोपमा सेना-वर्णना तथा सुषेण-वधोत्तर प्रतिक्रिया
Battle-as-Storm Imagery and the Aftermath of Suṣeṇa’s Fall
(महदासीत् तयोरयुद्ध मुहूर्तमिव दारुणम् । क़्ुद्धयो: समरे राजन् रामरावणयोरिव ।।
sañjaya uvāca | mahad āsīt tayor ayuddhaṁ muhūrtam iva dāruṇam | kruddhayoḥ samare rājan rāma-rāvaṇayor iva || tataḥ śikhaṇḍī kupitaḥ śaraiḥ saptabhir āhave | kṛpaṁ vivyādha kupitaṁ kaṅka-patrair ajihyāgaiḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Tâu Đại vương, trong chốc lát cuộc giao tranh giữa hai dũng sĩ trở nên dữ dội khôn cùng, như Rāma và Rāvaṇa khi nổi giận trên chiến địa. Rồi Śikhaṇḍī, bốc lửa căm hờn, đã bắn Kṛpa đang phẫn nộ bằng bảy mũi tên thẳng, gắn lông chim diệc, khiến ông bị thương nặng.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) magnifies the destructiveness of conflict: once warriors become ‘kruddha/kupita’, the battle turns dreadful and decisive blows follow quickly. The ethical undertone is that passion-driven combat eclipses restraint, accelerating harm even among disciplined fighters.
Sañjaya reports to the king that the duel between the two warriors became terrifying for a time, compared to the legendary Rāma–Rāvaṇa battle. Immediately after, Śikhaṇḍī, enraged, shoots seven straight, heron-feathered arrows and wounds Kṛpa on the battlefield.