Shloka 28
Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)
युधिष्ठिरं द्वादशभिद्रौपदेयांस्त्रिभिस्त्रिभि: | सात्यकिं पज्चभिर्विद्ध्वा मत्स्यं च दशभि: शरै:,उन्होंने शिखण्डीको बारह, उत्तमौजाको बीस, नकुलको पाँच और सहदेवको सात बाणोंसे घायल करके युधिष्छिरको बारह, द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्रोंको तीन-तीन, सात्यकिको पाँच और विराटको दस बाणोंसे बींध डाला
yudhiṣṭhiraṃ dvādaśabhir draupadeyāṃs tribhis tribhiḥ | sātyakiṃ pañcabhir viddhvā matsyaṃ ca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: He pierced Yudhiṣṭhira with twelve arrows; Draupadī’s sons with three arrows each; Sātyaki with five; and the Matsya king (Virāṭa) with ten shafts. The report underscores the relentless arithmetic of battle—valor measured in wounds—while reminding the listener that even the righteous are not spared when dharma is tested amid war’s indiscriminate violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare reduces persons—even the dharmic and noble—to targets counted by wounds. It implicitly contrasts the ideals of dharma with the harsh impartiality of battle, where righteousness does not guarantee bodily safety.
Sañjaya reports a combat episode in which a warrior (implied by context) shoots multiple Pāṇḍava-side leaders: Yudhiṣṭhira, the five Draupadeyas, Sātyaki, and Virāṭa, specifying the number of arrows used against each.