Shloka 8
Adhyāya 140: Rātriyuddhe Droṇa-prāpti-prayatnaḥ
Night engagement and the attempt to reach Droṇa
भीमचापच्युतैर्बाणैस्तव सैन्यमरिंदम । अवध्यत चमूमध्ये घोरैराशीविषोपमै:,शत्रुदमन! भीमसेनके धनुषसे छूटे हुए विषधर सर्पोके समान भयंकर बाणोंद्वारा सेनाके मध्यभागमें आपके सैनिकोंका वध हो रहा था
sañjaya uvāca | bhīmacāpacyutair bāṇais tava sainyam ariṃdama | avadhyata camūmadhye ghorair āśīviṣopamaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O subduer of foes, in the very midst of the battle-array your troops were being cut down by the arrows released from Bhīma’s bow—terrible shafts, like venomous serpents—signaling the fierce, relentless momentum of slaughter that war unleashes once restraint has broken.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how quickly warfare turns into indiscriminate destruction once combat is fully engaged: martial excellence (Bhīma’s prowess) achieves tactical ends, yet it also illustrates the ethical gravity of battle—where dharma is framed as duty-bound action, but its human cost remains stark.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma’s arrows, discharged from his bow and likened to venomous serpents, are killing Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s soldiers in the center of the formation, indicating a powerful breakthrough and heavy casualties among the Kaurava ranks.