Mahabharata — Virata Parva, Shloka 37
Adhyāya 61: Saṃmohana-astra and the Kuru Withdrawal (संमोहनास्त्रं तथा कुरुनिवृत्तिः)
दुःशासनो विकर्णश्न दुःसहो5थ विविंशति: । आगत्य भीमधन्वानं बीभत्सुं पर्यवारयन्
vaiśampāyana uvāca |
duḥśāsano vikarṇaś ca duḥsahaś cātha viviṁśatiḥ |
āgatya bhīmadhanvānaṁ bībhatsuṁ paryavārayan ||
Vaiśampāyana sprach: Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa, Duḥsaha und Viviṁśati traten heran und umringten Bībhatsu (Arjuna), den mächtigen Bogenschützen. Im sich entfaltenden Kampf suchten die Kaurava-Prinzen einen einzelnen Gegner durch Einkreisung zu überwältigen.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in warfare, opponents may rely on numbers and encirclement, while the ethical ideal associated with Arjuna as ‘Bībhatsu’ points to resisting what is improper even amid violent pressure—testing steadiness, courage, and dharmic restraint.
Four Kaurava princes—Duḥśāsana, Vikarṇa, Duḥsaha, and Viviṁśati—advance together and surround Arjuna, described as a mighty archer, setting up a concentrated attack against him.