Shloka 5
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
ततो गाण्डीवनिर्मुक्तिरिषुभिमोहितो नृप: । हयमुत्सृज्य तं वीरस्तत: पार्थमुपाद्रवत्
tato gāṇḍīva-nirmuktair iṣubhir mohitō nṛpaḥ | hayam utsṛjya taṁ vīras tataḥ pārtham upādravat ||
তখন গাণ্ডীব থেকে নিক্ষিপ্ত বাণের আঘাতে বিভ্রান্ত ও ব্যাকুল হয়ে রাজা ঘোড়াটিকে ছেড়ে দিলেন; আর সেই বীর তৎক্ষণাৎ পার্থ (অর্জুন)-এর উপর ঝাঁপিয়ে পড়লেন।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya resolve under pressure: even when overwhelmed by superior skill, a ruler may choose direct confrontation rather than retreat. Ethically, it frames the tension between pride-driven aggression and the disciplined, duty-bound conduct embodied by Arjuna in the Ashvamedha context.
A king, struck into confusion by Arjuna’s arrows shot from Gāṇḍīva, abandons the horse and charges straight at Arjuna (Pārtha), intensifying the battle.