Shloka 28
अपने ऊपर आक्रमण करनेवाले नकुलके पास पहुँचकर वृषसेनने अपने सायकोंद्वारा उन्हें सब ओरसे बींध डाला। बाणोंसे पीड़ित हुए नकुल अत्यन्त कुपित हो उठे और स्वयं घायल होकर उन्होंने वीर वृषसेनको भी बींध डाला ।।
mahābhaye rakṣyamāṇo mahātmā bhrātrā bhīmenākarot tatra bhīmam | taṁ karṇaputro vidhamantam ekaṁ narāśvam ātaḍḍa rathān anekān ||
Sañjaya said: Closing in on Nakula, Vṛṣasena pierced him from every side with arrows. Tormented by the shafts, Nakula blazed with anger and, though himself wounded, struck the valiant Vṛṣasena in return. In that great peril, the high-minded Nakula—shielded by his brother Bhīma—stood his ground with dreadful valor; then Karṇa’s son, single-handedly, smashed many chariots with their men and horses as he battered the lone fighter who was cleaving through the ranks.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma—steadfastness under peril and loyalty to one’s allies—while also revealing the grim moral weight of war: valor often expresses itself through escalating destruction, and protection of kin becomes inseparable from violence against others.
Vṛṣasena, Karṇa’s son, reaches Nakula and pierces him with many arrows. Nakula, enraged despite being wounded, strikes back and wounds Vṛṣasena. In the wider clash described here, amid great danger and with Bhīma’s support, the fighting intensifies as Vṛṣasena single-handedly smashes through multiple chariots with their men and horses.