Shloka 10
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
ततो रथसहस्रेण हयानामयुतेन च । कोष्ठकीकृत्य बीभत्सुं प्रहषष्टमनमसो 5 भवन्,एक हजार रथ और दस हजार घोड़ोंसे अर्जुनको घेरकर उन्हें कोष्ठबद्ध-सा करके वे मन-ही-मन बड़े प्रसन्न हो रहे थे
tato rathasahasreṇa hayānām ayutena ca | koṣṭhakīkṛtya bībhatsuṁ prahṛṣṭamanaso bhavan |
Darauf umringten sie Arjuna (Bībhatsu) mit tausend Wagen und zehntausend Pferden, schlossen ihn ein wie in einem Verschlag; und innerlich erfreut jubelten sie, ihn so in die Enge getrieben zu haben.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how numerical strength and tactical encirclement can breed premature confidence. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, such inward exultation (prahṛṣṭa-manasaḥ) often signals pride and misjudgment, reminding readers that dharma and true prowess are not measured merely by overwhelming force.
Vaiśampāyana describes opponents surrounding Arjuna with a thousand chariots and ten thousand horses, effectively penning him in like within a stockade (koṣṭhakīkṛtya). They feel secretly pleased, believing they have successfully trapped him.