Shloka 2
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
भीम॑ द्वादशभिवविंद्ध्वा सात्यकिं नवभि: शरै: | नकुलं च त्रिभिर्विंद्ूध्वा सहदेवं च सप्तभि:
bhīmaṃ dvādaśabhir avindhya sātyakiṃ navabhiḥ śaraiḥ | nakulaṃ ca tribhir viddhvā sahadevaṃ ca saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Nachdem er Bhīma mit zwölf Pfeilen und Sātyaki mit neun durchbohrt hatte, traf er darauf Nakula mit drei und Sahadeva mit sieben. Der Bericht betont die unerbittliche Arithmetik des Krieges: Tapferkeit wird an Ausdauer und Selbstbeherrschung gemessen, während Verwandte und Verbündete unter den Forderungen der kṣatriya-Pflicht verwundet werden.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh discipline of kṣatriya warfare: even revered heroes must endure injury while maintaining duty and composure. It implicitly contrasts personal bonds with the impersonal demands of battle, where ethical restraint and steadfastness become tests of character.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of successful arrow-strikes in the battle: Bhīma is pierced with twelve arrows, Sātyaki with nine, then Nakula with three and Sahadeva with seven—marking a moment of tactical pressure on the Pāṇḍava side.