Shloka 98
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
चतुर्दशसहसैौस्तु तुरगाणां महाहवे । द्वाभ्यां शतसहस्राभ्यां पदातीनां च धन्विनाम्,शरवर्षर्महाराज सर्वतः पाण्डुनन्दनम् । महाराज! तब एक हजार रथ, तीन सौ हाथी, चौदह हजार घोड़े और लक्ष्य वेधनेमें निपुण, सर्वत्र विख्यात एवं शौर्यसम्पन्न दो लाख पैदल सैनिक साथ लेकर संशप्तक महारथी कुन्तीकुमार पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनको अपने बाणोंकी वर्षासे आच्छादित करते हुए उनपर चढ़ आये
caturdaśasahasais tu turagāṇāṁ mahāhave | dvābhyāṁ śatasahasrābhyāṁ padātīnāṁ ca dhanvinām, śaravarṣair mahārāja sarvataḥ pāṇḍunandanam |
Sañjaya said: In that great battle, O King, with fourteen thousand horses and two hundred thousand foot-soldiers—archers—the Saṁsaptaka great chariot-warriors showered Arjuna, the son of Pāṇḍu, from every side with torrents of arrows, advancing to press the fight to its ruthless intensity.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension in war: numerical strength and coordinated assault can surround even the most righteous hero, yet a kṣatriya’s dharma is to stand firm under pressure. It highlights endurance, resolve, and the impersonal scale of violence that tests character.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna is being attacked from all sides by a massive contingent—fourteen thousand horses and two hundred thousand infantry archers—who unleash continuous arrow-showers, indicating a concentrated attempt (associated with the Saṁsaptakas) to overwhelm and pin him down in the battle.