Shloka 20
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
तथैवार्जुनिना मुक्ता: शरा: कनकभूषणा:
tathaivārjuninā muktāḥ śarāḥ kanakabhūṣaṇāḥ
Sañjaya sprach: Ebenso schossen die von Arjuna gelösten Pfeile—mit Gold geschmückt—pfeilschnell voran und kündeten von seinem unbeirrbaren Eintritt in die Schlacht. Das Bild betont diszipliniertes kriegerisches Handeln: Macht, die von einem Zweck gelenkt wird, nicht bloßer Zorn, während die ethische Last des Krieges auf jeder Tat ruht.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined action in a morally charged setting: Arjuna’s force is not random violence but purposeful, duty-bound engagement. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern that even in war, conduct should be governed by resolve, restraint, and dharma.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna releases arrows adorned with gold, describing the intensity and splendor of the combat. The line functions as a vivid battlefield detail, emphasizing Arjuna’s active participation and the formidable exchange of missiles.