Shloka 5
अध्याय ८८ — घटोत्कच-दुर्योधनयुद्धवर्णनम्
Ghaṭotkaca–Duryodhana Engagement
तेषां रथानामथ पृष्ठगोपा द्वात्रिंशवन्ये3भ्यपतन्त पार्थम् तथैव ते तं परिवार्य पार्थ विकृष्य चापानि महारवाणि
teṣāṁ rathānām atha pṛṣṭhagopā dvātriṁśa-vanye 'bhyapatanta pārtham | tathaiva te taṁ parivārya pārtha vikṛṣya cāpāni mahāravāṇi ||
Sañjaya said: The rear-guards of those princes’ chariots—thirty-two in number—also rushed upon Pārtha (Arjuna). Surrounding him on all sides, they drew their bows that thundered with a great twang, and began to shower volleys of arrows upon Arjuna like rain-clouds pouring down on a mountain. Struck by that rain of shafts, Arjuna’s heart on the battlefield blazed with fierce wrath.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield reality that a warrior faces coordinated aggression and must respond with steadiness and disciplined force. It also implicitly warns that uncontrolled anger can arise under pressure, making self-mastery an ethical challenge even for the righteous fighter.
Sañjaya narrates that thirty-two rear-guard charioteers of the princes charge Arjuna, encircle him, draw their loudly twanging bows, and unleash a dense shower of arrows. Under this assault, Arjuna’s inner fury intensifies on the battlefield.