Shloka 32
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
कोष्ठीकृत्य च त॑ वीर धार्तराष्ट्रा महारथा: । एकं॑ सुबहवो युद्धे ततक्षु: सायकैर्दूढम्,फिर आपके महारथी पुत्रोंने वीर अभिमन्युको सब ओरसे घेर लिया और युद्धस्थलमें उस अकेलेको बहुत-से योद्धाओंने सायकोंद्वारा जोर-जोरसे घायल करना आरम्भ किया
koṣṭhīkṛtya ca taṁ vīra dhārtarāṣṭrā mahārathāḥ | ekaṁ subahavo yuddhe tatakṣuḥ sāyakair dṛḍham ||
Sañjaya said: Having formed a tight encirclement around that heroic warrior, the great chariot-fighters of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s line set upon the lone one in the midst of battle; many against one, they struck him hard with volleys of arrows—an image of war’s grim imbalance, where prowess is met not by equal contest but by overwhelming force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the Mahābhārata: battlefield conduct (dharma-yuddha ideals) versus expedient victory. The image of many elite warriors overwhelming a single fighter underscores how power can abandon fairness, inviting reflection on courage, restraint, and the moral cost of collective aggression.
Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava great chariot-warriors have surrounded a lone heroic warrior in a tight formation and are attacking him intensely with volleys of arrows—many fighters concentrating force on one target.