Shloka 66
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
एते पुरोगमा भूत्वा धृष्टद्युम्नस्य संयुगे । कर्णमस्यन्तमिष्वस्त्रैर्विचेररमितौजस:,शिखण्डी, सहदेव, नकुल, शतानीक, जनमेजय, सात्यकि तथा बहुत-से प्रभद्रकगण-- ये सभी अमिततेजस्वी वीर युद्धस्थलमें धृष्टद्युम्मके आगे होकर बाण बरसानेवाले कर्णपर नाना प्रकारके अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका प्रहार करते हुए विचरने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | ete purogamā bhūtvā dhṛṣṭadyumnasya saṃyuge | karṇam asyantam iṣv-astrair vicerur amitaujasaḥ | śikhaṇḍī sahadevo nakulaḥ śatānīko janamejayaḥ sātyakiś ca tathā bahavaḥ prabhadrakagaṇāḥ—ete sarve amit-tejasaḥ vīrā yuddhasthale dhṛṣṭadyumnam agre kṛtvā bāṇān varṣantaḥ karṇe nānāvidhair astrāśastraiḥ prahārān kurvanto viceruḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Taking the lead in the battle under Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s command, those warriors of immeasurable prowess—Śikhaṇḍin, Sahadeva, Nakula, Śatānīka, Janamejaya, Sātyaki, and many companies of the Prabhadrakas—moved about the field, showering arrows and striking Karṇa with diverse weapons and missiles.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: disciplined coordination under a commander (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) and collective responsibility in confronting a powerful adversary (Karṇa). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between personal valor and the necessity of organized, strategic action within the brutal constraints of war.
A group of prominent Pandava-aligned warriors—Śikhaṇḍin, Sahadeva, Nakula, Śatānīka, Janamejaya, Sātyaki, and Prabhadraka troops—advance as the vanguard before Dhṛṣṭadyumna and range across the battlefield, showering arrows and striking Karṇa with various weapons.