Shloka 263
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
विविशुर्वसुधां वेगात् कडुकबर्हिणवासस: । शिलापर तेज किये हुए कंक और मयूरके पंखोंसे युक्त वे बाण राजा दुर्योधनके सुवर्णमय कवचको छेदकर बड़े वेगसे पृथ्वीमें समा गये
viviśur vasudhāṃ vegāt kaḍukabarhiṇavāsasaḥ | śilāparāḥ te kṛtāḥ kaṅka-mayūra-pakṣa-yuktāḥ bāṇāḥ rājñaḥ duryodhanasya suvarṇamayaṃ kavacaṃ chittvā mahāvegāt pṛthivyāṃ samāgatāḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: Aquellas flechas, impelidas por su ímpetu, se hundieron en la tierra. Duras como piedra y emplumadas con plumas de garza y de pavo real, atravesaron la coraza áurea del rey Duryodhana y, aún empujadas por gran fuerza, desaparecieron en el suelo: imagen del empuje implacable de la guerra, donde el esplendor y la protección no garantizan escapar a las consecuencias de la violencia.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores that external grandeur and defenses—symbolized by Duryodhana’s golden armor—cannot fully shield one from the force of actions and their consequences. In the ethical atmosphere of the epic, martial prowess and protective wealth are secondary to the deeper currents of dharma and the momentum of conflict once unleashed.
Sañjaya describes arrows, fletched with heron and peacock feathers and striking with stone-like hardness, piercing Duryodhana’s golden cuirass. Their impact is so powerful that after passing through the armor they continue into the earth, emphasizing the intensity of the battle.