Shloka 12
ततो बाणांश्षतुःषष्टिं तव पुत्रो महारणे | सहदेवरथं तूर्ण प्रेषयामास भारत,भारत! इतनेहीमें आपके पुत्रने उस महासमरमें सहदेवपर तुरंत ही चौंसठ बाण चलाये
tato bāṇān ṣaṭ-ṣaṣṭiṁ tava putro mahāraṇe | sahadeva-rathaṁ tūrṇaṁ preṣayāmāsa bhārata ||
Sañjaya said: Then, in that great battle, your son swiftly discharged sixty-four arrows at Sahadeva’s chariot. The narration underscores the relentless tempo of war, where prowess is displayed through rapid, measured volleys, even as the moral weight of striking one’s kin remains implicit in the Kurukṣetra conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as battlefield reportage, highlighting the disciplined, rapid execution of a warrior’s attack. Ethically, it sits within the Mahābhārata’s larger tension: kṣatriya duty and skill are displayed amid a fratricidal war whose righteousness is contested.
Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son quickly shoots sixty-four arrows at Sahadeva’s chariot during the great battle, indicating an intense exchange and an attempt to check or damage Sahadeva’s mobility and position.