Shloka 3
Adhyāya 143: Nocturnal duels—Nākuli and Citraseṇa; Vṛṣasena’s assault; Duḥśāsana vs Prativindhya
अथैनं रथवंशेन सर्वतः संनिवार्य ते । अवाकिरन् शरव्रातै: क्रुद्धा: परमधन्विन:,रथसमूहद्वारा सब ओरसे सात्यकिको अवरुद्ध करके उन परम धनुर्धर योद्धाओंने उनपर क्रोधपूर्वक बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
athainaṁ rathavaṁśena sarvataḥ saṁnivārya te | avākiran śaravrātaiḥ kruddhāḥ paramadhanvinaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then those foremost archers, hemming him in on every side with a barrier of chariots, angrily showered him with volleys of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger in battle drives escalation: even great warriors may rely on encirclement and massed attack rather than single combat. It invites reflection on the ethical strain of war—where courage and duty coexist with tactics that can become ruthless when fueled by wrath.
A group of elite archers forms a chariot-ring (rathavaṁśa) around Sātyaki, blocking his movement from all directions, and then unleashes dense volleys of arrows upon him in anger.