Shloka 1
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
अपन क्रात बछ। अं पञ्चाशीतितमोब<् ध्याय: अर्जुनका पराक्रम
sa tāḍyamānas tu śarair dhanañjayaḥ | padā hato nāga iva śvasan balī | bāṇena bāṇena mahārathānāṃ ciccheda cāpāni raṇe prasahya |
Sañjaya dit : Ô Roi ! Frappé par les flèches des ennemis, le puissant Arjuna (Dhanañjaya) se mit à pousser de longs souffles de colère, tel un serpent écrasé sous le pied. Puis, s’imposant dans la mêlée, il trancha les arcs des grands guerriers de char—flèche après flèche—brisant leur puissance de combattre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even when wounded and provoked, true martial excellence is shown not merely by rage but by disciplined, strategic action—neutralizing the opponent’s capacity to harm (cutting bows) rather than indulging in uncontrolled slaughter. The verse highlights kṣatriya valor guided by skill and purposeful restraint.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna being hit by enemy arrows; anger rises in him like a trampled serpent’s hiss. He responds decisively by shooting repeated arrows that sever the bows of the opposing great warriors, disarming them in the midst of battle.