Shloka 4
Cakravyūha-saṃkalpaḥ, Saṃśaptaka-āhvānaṃ, Saubhadra-vikrīḍitam
Drona Parva, Adhyāya 32
षड्भिद्दुर्योधनो राजा तत एनमथाकिरत् । भीमसेनो<पि तानू सर्वान् प्रत्यविध्यन्महाबल:,तदनन्तर राजा दुर्योधनने उनके ऊपर छ: बाणोंद्वारा प्रहार किया। फिर महाबली भीमसेनने उन सबको अपने बाणोंद्वारा घायल कर दिया
ṣaḍbhir duryodhano rājā tata enam athākirat | bhīmaseno 'pi tānū sarvān pratyavidhyan mahābalaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: King Duryodhana then showered him with six arrows. In response, the mighty Bhīmasena struck back, piercing all of them with his own shafts—an exchange that shows how, in the fury of battle, prowess and retaliation drive the combatants onward, often eclipsing restraint and reflection.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the momentum of retaliation in war: an attack is met by an answering strike. Ethically, it reflects the battlefield tension between kṣatriya valor and the escalating cycle of violence that can overwhelm restraint.
Sañjaya reports a brief exchange: Duryodhana shoots a volley of six arrows at an opponent, and Bhīma responds by piercing all of them with his own arrows, demonstrating strength and immediate counteraction.