Shloka 13
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
स शरै: समवच्छन्नक्षुकाशे पाण्डवर्षभ: । पञड्चरान्तरसंचारी शकुन्त इव भारत,भरतनन्दन! बाणोंसे आच्छादित हुए पाण्डवप्रवर अर्जुन पींजड़ेके भीतर फुदकनेवाले पक्षीकी भाँति जान पड़ते थे
sa śaraiḥ samavacchannakṣukāśe pāṇḍavarṣabhaḥ | pañjarāntarasañcārī śakunta iva bhārata bharatanandana ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana dijo: Arjuna—toro entre los Pāṇḍavas—estaba cubierto por completo de flechas y cercado como si se hallara en un espacio angosto. ¡Oh Bhārata, oh gozo de los Bhāratas! Parecía un ave que se agita y se lanza de un lado a otro dentro de una jaula; imagen que subraya tanto la ferocidad del asalto como la entereza del guerrero: aun herido y constreñido, sigue moviéndose y resistiendo, sin rendirse a la desesperación ni abandonar su deber.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness in dharma under pressure: even when wounded and seemingly constrained, a righteous warrior does not abandon effort or composure. The ethical emphasis is on endurance, courage, and continued responsibility amid suffering.
Vaiśaṃpāyana describes Arjuna in the midst of fierce combat: he is struck and covered by arrows and appears confined, yet he keeps moving rapidly—likened to a bird fluttering within a cage—conveying both the intensity of the attack and Arjuna’s resilience.