Shloka 17
मārkaṇḍeya-ukta yuddha-vyūha-pratyavyūhaḥ
Battle Formations and Countermeasures in the Rāmopākhyāna
मौर्वीविसृष्टा: स्तनयित्नुघोषा गाण्डीवमुक्तास्त्वतिवेगवन्त: । हस्तं समाहत्य धनंजयस्य भीमा: शब्दं घोरतरं नदन्ति,अर्जुनके गाण्डीव धनुषकी प्रत्यज्चासे छूटे हुए अत्यन्त वेगशाली बाण मेघोंके समान गर्जना करते हैं। वे भयानक बाण अर्जुनके हाथसे टकराकर अत्यन्त घोर शब्दकी सृष्टि करते हैं
maurvī-visṛṣṭāḥ stanayitnu-ghoṣā gāṇḍīva-muktās tv ati-vega-vantaḥ | hastaṃ samāhatya dhanañjayasya bhīmāḥ śabdaṃ ghorataraṃ nadanti ||
Jayadratha said: “Released from the bowstring, roaring like thunderclouds, the arrows shot from Gāṇḍīva fly with tremendous speed. Striking against Dhanañjaya’s hand, those fearsome shafts raise an even more dreadful sound.”
जयद्रथ उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overwhelming force of martial action and its consequences: power expressed through weapons creates fear and escalation. Ethically, it underscores how violence amplifies dread, even when performed by a renowned hero.
Jayadratha describes Arjuna’s arrows released from the Gāṇḍīva: they roar like thunder and, upon striking against Arjuna’s hand (in the clash of combat), produce an even more terrifying sound—emphasizing the intensity of the encounter.