Shloka 47
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ते च्छन्ना: समरे तेन पाण्डवानां महारथा:
te cchannāḥ samare tena pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ
সঞ্জয়ে ক’লে—সেই সমৰত পাণ্ডৱসকলৰ মহাৰথীসকল তেওঁৰ প্ৰহাৰত দবাই পৰি, অস্ত্ৰ-সংঘাতৰ মাজত চাৰিওফালৰ পৰা তেওঁৰ দ্বাৰা আচ্ছন্ন হ’ল; তেওঁৰ আক্ৰমণত যুদ্ধৰ সোঁত যেন উলটি গ’ল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the volatility of war: even the foremost heroes (mahārathas) can be suddenly pressed and obscured by a single opponent’s momentum. Ethically, it highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that prowess is real yet unstable, and that outcomes in battle are shaped by circumstance, resolve, and the larger moral-cosmic order.
Sañjaya reports that, during the fighting, the Pāṇḍavas’ leading chariot-warriors were ‘covered/overwhelmed’ by a particular warrior’s assault—suggesting a moment where the enemy’s attack dominated the field and forced the Pāṇḍava champions into a pressured, obscured situation.