Shloka 5
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
व्यायतायतबाहूनां व्यायतायतबाहुभि: । बाहव: पातिता रेजुर्धरण्यां सायुधाड़रदा:,हृष्ट-पुष्ट और लंबी भुजाओंवाले वीरोंने, हृष्ट-पुष्ट और लंबी बाँहोंवाले योद्धाओंकी बाँहें पृथ्वीपर काट गिरायीं। वे भुजाएँ आयुधों और अंगदोंसहित शोभा पा रही थीं वध्यमाने बले तस्मिन् सूतपुत्रेण मारिष | नकुलो<भ्यद्रवत् तूर्ण सूतपुत्रं महारणे माननीय नरेश! सूतपुत्रके द्वारा उस महासमरमें जब अपनी सेना मारी जाने लगी, तब नकुलने तुरंत ही कर्णपर धावा किया
sañjaya uvāca |
vyāyatāyatabāhūnāṃ vyāyatāyatabāhubhiḥ |
bāhavaḥ pātitā rejur dharaṇyāṃ sāyudhāṅgadāḥ ||
vadhyamāne bale tasmin sūtaputreṇa māriṣa |
nakulo 'bhyadravat tūrṇaṃ sūtaputraṃ mahāraṇe ||
Sanjaya said: In that clash, warriors with broad, well-developed arms hewed down the arms of other warriors equally strong and long-limbed; those severed arms lay upon the earth, still adorned with weapons and armlets, and yet appearing splendid. O revered king, when that host was being cut down by the Sūta’s son (Karna), Nakula swiftly charged straight at Karna in the great battle—an act of kṣatriya resolve amid the ruin of one’s own side, where courage and duty contend with the horror of slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores kṣatriya-dharma in its starkest form: even as one’s forces are being destroyed, a warrior is expected to respond with courage and decisive action. At the same time, the vivid imagery of severed, ornamented arms highlights the tragic cost of war—splendor and valor coexist with brutality.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield where arms are cut down and lie on the ground still adorned with weapons and armlets. In that moment, as Karna is slaughtering the opposing force, Nakula quickly charges to confront Karna directly in the great battle.