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 ||
三阇耶说:大王啊,他们二人的交锋一时变得极其惨烈,宛如战场上暴怒的罗摩与罗波那。随后,尸佉ṇḍī怒气更盛,在战斗中以七支笔直之箭——饰以鹭羽——射中同样愤怒的克利波,使其伤痕累累。
संजय उवाच
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.