Shloka 9
इन्द्रजिद्-लक्ष्मणयुद्धम्
Indrajit and Lakṣmaṇa: Escalation through Concealment
राजा स्वयं सुवीराणां प्रवराणां प्रहारिणाम् । निमेषमात्रेण शतं जघान समरे तदा,स्वयं राजा युधिष्ठिरने भी उस समय अपने ऊपर प्रहार करनेवाले सौवीर क्षत्रियोंके सौ प्रमुख वीरोंको पलक मारते-मारते समरांगणमें मार गिराया
vaiśampāyana uvāca | rājā svayaṃ suvīrāṇāṃ pravarāṇāṃ prahāriṇām | nimeṣamātreṇa śataṃ jaghāna samare tadā ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the king himself, in the midst of battle, slew a hundred of the foremost Souvīra warriors—men who were striking at him—within the span of a single blink. The scene reveals the king’s formidable prowess when duty and survival in war compel decisive action.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical terrain of warfare: when attacked, a ruler may be compelled by kṣatriya-dharma to respond swiftly and decisively. It also cautions that extraordinary power in battle carries grave moral weight, since victory is achieved through lethal force.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that the king, personally engaged in combat, kills one hundred of the leading Souvīra fighters who are attacking him, doing so almost instantaneously—“within a blink.”