Shloka 4
विराटसभायां पाण्डवानां प्रवेशः — Arjuna’s Encomium of Yudhiṣṭhira in Virāṭa’s Court
अथास्य बाणेन विदारितस्य प्रादुर्बभूवासृगजस्रमुष्णम् । स तस्य जाम्बूनदपुड्खचित्रो भित्त्वा ललाटं सुविराजते सम
athāsya bāṇena vidāritasya prādurbabhūvāsṛg ajasram uṣṇam | sa tasya jāmbūnadapuḍkhacitraḥ bhittvā lalāṭaṁ suvirājate sam ||
Vaiśampāyana said: When his forehead was split open by that arrow, a continuous stream of hot blood at once burst forth. That wondrous arrow, adorned with a golden (jāmbūnada) feathered shaft, having pierced the forehead, shone there brilliantly—marking the fierce immediacy of battle and the stark bodily cost of martial conflict.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh reality of kṣatriya warfare: valor and duty are enacted through bodily risk and suffering. It does not moralize directly, but its vivid imagery invites reflection on the cost of conflict and the gravity of martial action within dharma-bound combat.
An arrow strikes and splits the warrior’s forehead; hot blood flows continuously. The ornate, gold-feathered arrow remains lodged after piercing the forehead, described as shining prominently.