Shloka 3
Duryodhana’s Anxiety, Bhīṣma’s Reassurance, and Renewed Mobilization (दुर्योधनचिन्ता–भीष्मप्रत्याश्वासन–सेनानिर्गमनम्)
द्रौणिरगाण्डीवधन्चानं भीमधन्वा महारथ: । अविध्यदिषुभि: षड्भिद्दृढहस्त: स्तनान्तरे
sañjaya uvāca | drauṇir agāṇḍīvadhanañ ca bhīmadhanvā mahārathaḥ | avidhyad iṣubhiḥ ṣaḍbhir dṛḍhahastaḥ stanāntare ||
Sañjaya dit : Aśvatthāman, grand guerrier de char, fils de Droṇa—redoutable à l’arc—montrant la fermeté de sa main, frappa Arjuna, porteur du Gāṇḍīva, à la poitrine de six flèches. Le vers souligne l’escalade incessante de l’adresse et de l’endurance, où la prouesse se révèle comme une force maîtrisée jusque dans l’obscurité morale d’une guerre fratricide.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the Kurukṣetra war, excellence and steadiness (dṛḍhahastatā) are displayed through disciplined action; yet the very need to prove prowess by wounding kin reminds the listener of the tragic ethical tension of kṣatriya-duty within a destructive conflict.
Sañjaya reports a specific exchange in battle: Aśvatthāman, renowned as Droṇa’s son and a great warrior, shoots six arrows at Arjuna (the wielder of the Gāṇḍīva), striking him in the chest area.