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 ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: Cuando aquella flecha le hendió la frente, al instante brotó un chorro incesante de sangre ardiente. Esa flecha prodigiosa, adornada con plumas de oro jāmbūnada, tras perforar la frente resplandecía allí con brillo—señal de la feroz inmediatez del combate y del crudo tributo corporal que exige la guerra.
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.