Shloka 33
धर्मराजस्य चिन्ता, भीमसेनप्रेषणम्, द्रोणानीकप्रवेशप्रयत्नः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Anxiety and the Dispatch of Bhīma; Attempted Breakthrough into Droṇa’s Formation
कौन्तेयेनाग्रत: सृष्टा न्यपतन् पृष्ठतः शरा: । तूर्णात् तूर्णतरं हाश्वा: प्रावहन् वातरंहस:
kaunteyenāgrataḥ sṛṣṭā nyapatan pṛṣṭhataḥ śarāḥ | tūrnāt tūrnataram hāśvāḥ prāvahan vātaraṃhasaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The arrows released by the son of Kuntī, though shot forward, fell behind—so swiftly did his horses carry the chariot, faster than the fastest, like the wind itself. The scene underscores how, amid the chaos of war, mastery of speed and control can overturn ordinary expectations of cause and effect, turning skill into a decisive moral and strategic advantage.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how disciplined mastery—here, control of chariot-speed and timing—can reshape outcomes in conflict. It implies that effectiveness in action (karma) depends not only on intent but also on skill, coordination, and presence of mind amid turmoil.
Arjuna shoots arrows forward, but his chariot is driven so rapidly by his horses that the arrows appear to fall behind him. Sañjaya uses this striking image to convey extraordinary speed and battlefield momentum.