Shloka 19
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
स तत्र राजा तं वीर॑ शरसंघैरनेकश: । अर्दयामास निशितैराशीविषविषोपमै:
sa tatra rājā taṃ vīraṃ śarasaṃghair anekaśaḥ | ardayāmāsa niśitair āśīviṣaviṣopamaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Là, le roi assaillit à maintes reprises ce héros par des volées de flèches—acérées et venimeuses comme des serpents—le perçant encore et encore et lui infligeant une douleur cuisante. La scène montre comment, dans l’aveuglement du combat et de la rivalité, même les liens du sang peuvent être submergés par l’élan implacable de la guerre.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between kṣatriya conduct in battle and the claims of kinship: warfare can drive one to inflict severe harm even upon a revered opponent, reminding the reader that dharma in conflict is fraught and that violence carries real suffering regardless of justification.
In the encounter described, the king repeatedly strikes the opposing hero with many sharp arrows likened to venomous serpents, wounding and tormenting him—an intense moment within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s martial episode.