Shloka 21
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 94: Sātyaki–Sudarśana Yuddha (सात्यकि–सुदर्शन युद्ध)
तस्यार्जुनो धनुश्कछित्त्वा विव्याधैनं त्रिसप्तभि: । शरैरग्निशिखाकारे: क्रुद्धाशीविषसंनिभै:,यह देख अर्जुनने उसके धनुषको काटकर क्रोधमें भरे हुए विषधर सर्पके समान भयंकर और आगकी लपटोंके समान तेजस्वी इक्कीस बाणोंद्वारा उसे भी घायल कर दिया
tasyārjuno dhanuś chittvā vivyādha enaṃ trisaptabhiḥ | śarair agniśikhākāraiḥ kruddhāśīviṣasaṃnibhaiḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Arjuna hieb ihm den Bogen entzwei und traf ihn dann mit einundzwanzig Pfeilen—flammend wie Feuerzungen und schrecklich wie zornige Giftschlangen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying efficiency of martial prowess when driven by anger, implicitly reminding that even righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma) demands inner restraint so that wrath does not become the true commander.
Sañjaya narrates that Arjuna first cuts his opponent’s bow and then wounds him with twenty-one arrows, described through vivid similes—flame-like and serpent-like—to convey their speed, heat, and deadly force.