Shloka 81
सूतं विद्ध्वा भीमसेनस्य षड्भि- दभ्यां विद्ध्वा कार्मुकं च ध्वजं च । पुन: पार्थ शरवर्षेण विद्ध्वा द्रौणिघोरं सिंहनादं ननाद,इतना ही नहीं, भीमसेनके सारथिको छः: तथा उनके धनुष और ध्वजको दो बाणोंसे बींधकर पुनः बाणोंकी वर्षद्वारा अर्जुनको घायल करके अअभश्वत्थामाने घोर सिंहनाद किया
sūtaṃ viddhvā bhīmasenasya ṣaḍbhiḥ, dvābhyāṃ viddhvā kārmukaṃ ca dhvajaṃ ca | punaḥ pārtha śaravarṣeṇa viddhvā drauṇir ghoraṃ siṃhanādaṃ nanāda ||
Sañjaya said: Having struck Bhīmasena’s charioteer with six arrows, and with two more piercing his bow and his banner, Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā) again wounded Pārtha (Arjuna) with a shower of arrows and then let out a terrible lion-roar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare is fought not only with weapons but also with intimidation and public displays of superiority; ethically, it invites reflection on how fear and spectacle can be used to pressure opponents and shape the battlefield’s moral atmosphere.
Aśvatthāmā strikes Bhīma’s charioteer, then pierces the bow and banner, next wounds Arjuna with a dense volley of arrows, and finally roars like a lion to signal challenge and dominance.