Shloka 64
Duryodhana’s Śaraṇāgati and the Pāṇḍavas’ Resolve
Gandharva Encounter
पर्वताक्ष शतघ्न्यक्ष प्रासासिपरिघा गदा: । निपतद्धिश्व तैघेरिदेवानीकं महायुधै:
parvatākṣa-śataghnīyakṣa-prāsāsi-parighā gadāḥ | nipatad dhiśva tais tīvrair devānīkaṁ mahāyudhaiḥ ||
Mārkaṇḍeya said: “Then, with mighty weapons—stone-like missiles, heavy clubs, spears, swords, iron bars, and maces—the host of the gods was struck from every side, as those fierce arms rained down. The scene shows how even a righteous army can be tested by overwhelming force, and how courage and steadiness are demanded amid the chaos of battle.”
मार्कण्डेय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that in war—even when one’s cause is aligned with dharma—one must endure severe trials. Ethical steadiness is tested not by comfort but by the pressure of violent opposition, where courage and discipline become moral necessities.
Mārkaṇḍeya describes a fierce assault in which powerful weapons—spears, swords, maces, iron bars, and heavy missiles—rain down upon the army of the gods, striking them from all directions.