Shloka 213
अश्वमेधीयस्य हयस्य दक्षिणापश्चिमगमनम् — The Sacrificial Horse’s Southern and Western Circuit
अभ्ययु: सहिता: पार्थ प्रगृहीतशरासना: । उसकी सेनामें हाथी, घोड़े और रथ सभी सम्मिलित थे। वह सेना ध्वजा-पताकाओंकी मालासे मण्डित थी। गान्धारदेशके योद्धा राजा शकुनिके वधका समाचार सुनकर अमर्षमें भरे हुए थे; अतः हाथमें धनुष-बाण ले उन्होंने एक साथ होकर अर्जुनपर धावा बोल दिया
abhyayuḥ sahitāḥ pārtha pragṛhītaśarāsanāḥ |
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: United together, with bows and arrows readied, the warriors charged at Arjuna. Their force—filled with elephants, horses, and chariots—was adorned with garlands of banners and flags. Hearing of King Śakuni’s death, the fighters of the Gandhāra land burned with indignation; therefore, taking up their weapons, they surged forward in a single mass to assail Arjuna.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how news of a leader’s death can inflame collective anger and drive retaliatory violence. Ethically, it illustrates the peril of acting from amarsa (indignant wrath): it unites people quickly, but often toward destructive ends, showing the tension between kṣatriya duty in battle and the moral cost of vengeance.
Gandhāra warriors, enraged after hearing that King Śakuni has been slain, assemble and launch a coordinated attack on Arjuna. Their army is described as a full combined force with elephants, horses, and chariots, decorated with banners and flags, advancing with weapons ready.