Shloka 16
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 45: Saubhadra–Lakṣmaṇa-saṃyoga and Kaurava Counter-Encirclement
तालमात्राणि चापानि विकर्षन्तो महाबला: । आर्जुनिं शरवर्षेण समन्तात् पर्यवारयन्,राजन! राजा शल्यके अभिमानी पुत्र रुक्मरथको जो अभिमन्युको जीते-जी पकड़ना चाहता था, यशस्वी सुभद्राकुमारके द्वारा मारा गया देख शल्यपुत्रके बहुत-से मित्र राजकुमार, जो प्रहार करनेमें कुशल और युद्धमें उनन््मत्त होकर लड़नेवाले थे, अर्जुनकुमारको चारों ओरसे घेरकर बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे। उनके ध्वज सुवर्णके बने हुए थे, वे महाबली वीर चार हाथके धनुष खींच रहे थे
tālamātrāṇi cāpāni vikarṣanto mahābalāḥ | ārjunim śaravarṣeṇa samantāt paryavārayan rājān ||
Sañjaya said: Mighty warriors, drawing their bows to the full measure, hemmed in Arjuna’s son on every side and showered him with arrows. Thus, in war’s fury, grief and pride swiftly harden into collective retaliation, and the battlefield becomes a ring of relentless assault around a single hero.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare amplifies pride and vengeance into coordinated aggression; ethically, it invites reflection on how group fury can eclipse restraint and fair combat, even against a single, valorous opponent.
Sañjaya reports that powerful fighters, drawing their bows fully, surround Abhimanyu from every direction and bombard him with a dense rain of arrows, tightening the encirclement around him.