Shloka 25
सप्रतोदमहाशड्खान् सकुन्तान् सकचग्रहान् । समुद्गरक्षेपणीयान् सपाशपरिघोपलान्,महाराज! अर्जुनकुमार अभिमन्युने आपके सहस्रों सैनिकोंकी उन भुजाओंको तुरंत काट डाला, जिनमें मनोहर सुगन्धयुक्त चन्दनका लेप लगा हुआ था। वीरोंकी उन भुजाओंमें गोहके चमड़ेसे बने हुए दस्ताने बँधे हुए थे। धनुष और बाण शोभा पाते थे। किन्हीं भुजाओंमें ढाल, तलवार, अंकुश और बागडोर दिखायी देती थीं। किन्हींमें तोमर और फरसे शोभा पाते थे। किन्हींमें गदा, लोहेकी गोलियाँ, प्रास, ऋष्टि, तोमर, पट्टिश, भिन्दिपाल, परिघ, श्रेष्ठ शक्ति, कम्पन, प्रतोद, महाशंख और कुन्त दृष्टिगोचर हो रहे थे। किन्हीं-किन्हीं भुजाओंने शत्रुओंकी चोटियाँ पकड़ रखी थीं। किन्हींमें मुदूगर फेंकनेयोग्य अन्यान्य अस्त्र, पाश, परिघ तथा प्रस्तरखण्ड दिखायी देते थे। वीरोंकी वे सभी भुजाएँ केयूर और अंगद आदि आभूषणोंसे विभूषित थीं
sa-pratodamahāśaṅkhān sakuntān saka-cagrahān | samudgara-kṣepaṇīyān sapāśa-parighopalān mahārāja |
Sañjaya said: O King, Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna, swiftly hewed off the arms of your warriors—arms smeared with fragrant sandal paste, adorned with armlets and ornaments, and fitted with iguana-leather gloves—arms that bore bows and arrows, shields and swords, goads and reins, javelins and axes, clubs, iron balls, spears and lances, tomara and pattisa, bhindipāla and parigha, fine śaktis, whips and prods, great conches and spears; some even still clutching the enemy by the topknot, and others holding hurlable mudgaras, nooses, iron bars, and stones. The verse underscores the grim momentum of battle: valor and skill are displayed through destruction, while the king is made to confront the human cost borne by his own side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: prowess and duty are expressed through relentless combat, yet the narration forces moral awareness of suffering and loss. Sañjaya’s address to the king functions as an ethical mirror—victory and valor are inseparable from the grievous cost paid by one’s own people.
Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu, fighting fiercely, is cutting down the arms of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s soldiers. The verse catalogs the many weapons and battle-implements those arms carried—conches, spears, clubs, nooses, iron bars, stones—emphasizing the intensity and chaos of the battlefield and Abhimanyu’s overwhelming martial skill.