Shloka 7
Arjuna’s Concentrated Archery and the Rout of the Kaurava Mahārathas
Gāṇḍīva-Nirghoṣa Episode
कृपस्य रथमास्थाय वैराटिरकुतो भय: । प्रदक्षिणमुपावृत्य तस्थौ तस्याग्रतो बली
kṛpasya ratham āsthāya vairāṭir akuto bhayaḥ | pradakṣiṇam upāvṛtya tasthau tasyāgrato balī ||
قال فايشَمبايانا: إنَّ أميرَ فيرَاطَة—لا يخشى من أيِّ جانب—اعتلى عربةَ كِرِبا، فأدارها في مسارِ طوافٍ يمينيٍّ (برَدَكشِنا)، ثم وقف، وهو الجبّار، متوقفًا مباشرةً أمامه. وقد جمع هذا الفعل بين ثقةٍ تكتيكية وإيماءةِ توقيرٍ رسمية، على الرغم من توتر القتال الوشيك.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a martial setting, kṣatriya behavior can combine fearlessness with disciplined protocol: confidence (akuto-bhaya) is shown alongside a formal gesture of respect (pradakṣiṇā), indicating that power is ideally tempered by restraint and propriety.
Uttara, the prince of Virāṭa, mounts Kṛpa’s chariot, wheels it in a rightward circumambulation, and then stops directly in front of Kṛpa—positioning himself boldly while also performing a conventional sign of honor.