Shloka 21
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
भल््लान् सुनिशितान् पीतान् रुक्मपुंखान् सुदारुणान् । ते तस्य कवचं भित्त्वा पपु: शोणितमाहवे
sañjaya uvāca |
bhallān suniśitān pītān rukmapuṅkhān sudāruṇān |
te tasya kavacaṃ bhittvā papuḥ śoṇitam āhave ||
Sañjaya said: “Then he discharged ‘bhalla’ arrows—well-honed, yellow-hued, with golden fletching, and exceedingly dreadful. Those shafts, piercing his armour, drank his blood on the battlefield.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily descriptive rather than doctrinal: it highlights the grim reality of righteous war (kṣatriya-dharma) where skill and ferocity operate within the battlefield’s moral framework, reminding the listener that combat entails real bodily cost and irreversible consequences.
Sañjaya describes a warrior unleashing extremely sharp, gold-fletched ‘bhalla’ arrows. The arrows pierce the opponent’s armour and cause bleeding—poetically said to ‘drink’ the blood—emphasizing the intensity of the fight.