Shloka 20
Vyāsa’s Consolation to Yudhiṣṭhira: Tapas, Kāla, and the Difficulty of Dāna (दान-तपस्-विवेकः)
एवमुक्त्वा ततः पार्थ: सव्यसाची धनंजय: । ससर्ज निशितान् बाणान् खचरान् खचरान् प्रति,ऐसा कहकर सव्यसाची अर्जुनने गन्धरवोके एक-एक दलपर अपने तीखे आकाशगामी बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
evam uktvā tataḥ pārthaḥ savyasācī dhanañjayaḥ | sasarja niśitān bāṇān khacarān khacarān prati ||
Dicho esto, Pārtha—Arjuna, el ambidiestro Dhanañjaya—disparó entonces sus flechas agudas, que surcaban el cielo, dirigiéndolas contra los Gandharvas que combatían en el aire. La escena marca el giro decisivo de la palabra a la fuerza disciplinada: acción para contener la agresión y salvaguardar el honor, pero ceñida al código del guerrero, medido y deliberado en el combate.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
When restraint and speech no longer suffice to stop wrongdoing, a kṣatriya may employ force—but it should be deliberate, proportionate, and aimed at protection and restoration of order rather than cruelty or vengeance.
After declaring his intent, Arjuna begins the combat in earnest by releasing volleys of sharp arrows at the airborne Gandharvas, targeting their moving formations in the sky.