Shloka 19
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
तस्मै बाणांस्ततो जिष्णुर्निर्मुक्ताशीविषोपमान् | प्रेषयामास संक़्रुद्धो ज्वलितज्वलनोपमान्
tasmai bāṇāṁs tato jiṣṇur nirmuktāśīviṣopamān | preṣayāmāsa saṅkruddho jvalitajvalanopamān ||
Alors Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), embrasé de colère, décocha contre lui une volée de flèches—pareilles à des serpents venimeux tout juste relâchés, pareilles au feu flamboyant lui-même—afin de brider l’agression de l’adversaire par une puissance écrasante.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya impulse to meet aggression with decisive force, while implicitly warning that anger (saṅkruddha) intensifies violence; ethical strength lies in directing power toward protection and restraint rather than mere wrath.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna, angered in the confrontation, releases a rapid barrage of arrows at his opponent, described through vivid similes—like freed venomous snakes and like blazing fire—to convey their lethal speed and intensity.