Shloka 15
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
वृता व्यूहेन महता पाण्ड्याश्नोला: सकेरला: । धृष्टद्युम्न, शिखण्डी, द्रौपदीके पुत्र, प्रभद्रक, सात्यकि, चेकितान, द्राविड सैनिकोंसहित महान् व्यूहसे घिरे हुए पाण्डय, चोल तथा केरल योद्धाओंने धावा किया ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
vṛtā vyūhena mahatā pāṇḍyāś ca colāḥ sakeralāḥ |
dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ śikhaṇḍī draupadeyāḥ prabhadrakāḥ |
sātyakiś cekitāno drāviḍaiḥ sainikaiḥ saha |
mahāvyūhena parivṛtāḥ pāṇḍya-cola-keralāḥ samare prādravan ||
vyūḍhoraskā dīrghabhujāḥ prāṃśavaḥ pṛthulocanāḥ |
vāryamāṇau tataḥ tau hi śaineya-śaravṛṣṭibhiḥ |
śaineyasya rathaṃ tūrṇaṃ chādayām āsatuḥ śaraiḥ ||
Dijo Sañjaya: Rodeados por una vasta formación de batalla, los guerreros de los Pāṇḍyas, los Colas y los Keralas—junto con Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍī, los hijos de Draupadī, los Prabhadrakas, Sātyaki, Cekitāna y las tropas drávidas—se precipitaron al combate. Entonces dos luchadores de estirpe principesca, de pecho ancho, brazos largos, alta talla y grandes ojos, aunque contenidos por las lluvias de flechas de Śaineya (Sātyaki), cubrieron al instante el carro de Śaineya con sus propios proyectiles.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kṣatriya ethos in wartime: duty is pursued through coordinated formations and steadfast effort even under resistance. It also implicitly warns how collective resolve and tactical skill can intensify conflict, making restraint difficult once battle momentum builds.
A large Pāṇḍava-aligned force—southern contingents and key commanders—charges while enclosed within a major formation. Two princely warriors, though impeded by Sātyaki’s arrow-showers, retaliate by rapidly blanketing Sātyaki’s chariot with arrows.