Shloka 61
मुक्ता: सर्वेडव्यवच्छिन्ना नेमे बाणा: शिखण्डिन: । तब वे पुनः दुःशासनसे मुसकराते हुए-से बोले--“गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनने युद्धस्थलमें ऐसे बाण छोड़े हैं
sañjaya uvāca | muktāḥ sarve 'vyavacchinnā neme bāṇāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ | nikṛntamānā marmāṇi dṛḍhāvaraṇabhedinaḥ |
Sañjaya dit : «Ces flèches sont décochées en un flot continu, sans la moindre interruption ; elles ne peuvent être celles de Śikhaṇḍin. Elles tranchent les points vitaux et percent même les cuirasses les plus solides. Leur contact est insoutenable —comme la foudre et l’éclair— et elles frappent le corps tel un lourd gourdin. Une telle puissance est difficile à parer ; ce ne sont pas, assurément, les flèches de Śikhaṇḍin.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, discernment matters: the passage highlights careful attribution of agency and skill—recognizing the true source of an action rather than accepting appearances. It also underscores the moral weight of consequences in battle, where force and intent manifest through unmistakable signs.
In Sanjaya’s report, Duhshasana (or the speaker describing his condition) notes that the arrows arriving in an unbroken stream are too powerful and precise to be Shikhandin’s; they pierce strong armor and strike vital points, indicating that Arjuna, wielding the Gandiva, is the real archer behind the assault.