Shloka 98
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
तब यमराजके राज्यकी वृद्धि करनेवाले अर्जुनने प्रलयकालके मेघोंके समान गम्भीर ध्वनि करनेवाले तथा इन्द्रधनुषके समान प्रतीत होनेवाले विशाल गाण्डीव धनुषको हँसते हुए दोनों हाथोंसे खींचा और आपके सैनिकोंको दग्ध करते हुए वे बड़े वेगसे आगे बढ़े ।। स तानुदीर्णान् सरथान् सवारणान् पदातिसड्घांश्व॒ महाधनुर्धर: । विपन्नसर्वायुधजीवितान् रणे चकार वीरो यमराष्ट्रवर्धनान्
sa tān udīrṇān sarathān savāraṇān padātisaṅghāṁś ca mahā-dhanur-dharaḥ | vipanna-sarvāyudha-jīvitān raṇe cakāra vīro yama-rāṣṭra-vardhanān ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty bowman Arjuna—one who swells the realm of Yama by sending warriors to death—drew his vast Gāṇḍīva with both hands, smiling, its sound deep like the clouds at the time of dissolution and its arc seeming like a rainbow. Then, scorching your troops, he surged forward with great speed, and in battle he reduced charioteers, elephant-riders, and masses of foot-soldiers to a state where their weapons and even their lives were ruined—thus increasing the dominion of Death.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim ethical reality of kṣatriya warfare: even a righteous warrior’s prowess results in death, framed here as ‘increasing Yama’s kingdom.’ It highlights impermanence and the heavy moral weight of battle, while implying that power must be exercised within the demanded duty of the battlefield.
Sañjaya narrates to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna draws the Gāṇḍīva and charges forward at great speed, burning and breaking the Kaurava forces—chariots, elephants, and infantry—leaving them deprived of weapons and life, like victims delivered to Yama.