Shloka 7
कर्णपर्व — अध्याय ५९
Arjuna Breaks the Encirclement; Bhīma Reinforces
पश्य सात्वतभीमाभ्यां निरुद्धाधिछिता: पुन: । जिहीर्षवो<मृतं दैत्या: शक्राग्निभ्यामिवासकृत्
sañjaya uvāca | paśya sātvata-bhīmābhyāṃ niruddhādhikṛtāḥ punaḥ | jihīrṣavo 'mṛtaṃ daityāḥ śakrāgnibhyām ivāsakṛt ||
Sañjaya said: “Behold—Duryodhana’s warriors, checked and held back again by Sātyaki and Bhīmasena, have once more rallied. Just as the Daityas, intent on seizing the nectar of immortality, were repeatedly restrained by Indra and Agni, so too are these troops turned back time and again—yet they rise again.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless drive that fuels conflict: even when repeatedly checked by superior force, warriors (and, by analogy, the Daityas) regroup under the pressure of desire—here, victory or ‘amṛta.’ Ethically, it warns how craving and ambition can keep beings returning to harmful struggle, while also portraying the kṣatriya ideal of refusing to collapse despite setbacks.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana’s troops, though repeatedly stopped by Sātyaki and Bhīma, have re-formed and stand up to fight again. He compares them to the Daityas who tried to seize the nectar of immortality but were again and again restrained by Indra and Agni.