Shloka 12
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
तथेतरांस्तव सुतांस्ताडयामास भारत | शरैर्बहुविधै: संख्ये रुक्मपुड्खै: सुतेजनै:
tathetarāṁs tava sutāṁs tāḍayāmāsa bhārata | śarair bahuvidhaiḥ saṅkhye rukmapuṅkhaiḥ sutejanaiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: «So auch, o Bhārata, mitten im Getümmel der Schlacht traf und bedrängte er deine anderen Söhne mit vielerlei Pfeilen—goldbefiedert und überaus scharf—und fügte ihnen Schmerz und Druck zu im Zusammenprall der Waffen.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s war-ethic: in saṅkhya (open battle), a warrior’s prowess manifests through disciplined, effective force. It also highlights the moral weight of conflict—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons face the tangible consequences of the war they are entangled in.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warrior being described continues his assault, now wounding and pressuring the other Kaurava princes with numerous, extremely sharp, gold-feathered arrows amid the battle.