Shloka 286
भीमसेन–कर्णयुद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Bhīmasena–Karṇa Engagement
वासुदेवं च विंशत्या पुनः पार्थ च पञठ्चभि: । तत्पश्चात् अश्वत्थामाने अर्जुनपर साठ बाण बरसाये, फिर श्रीकृष्णको बीस और अर्जुनको भी पाँच बाण मारे
vāsudevaṃ ca viṃśatyā punaḥ pārthaṃ ca pañcabhiḥ | tatpaścād aśvatthāmāne arjunapara ṣaṣṭiṃ bāṇān abravṣayat |
Sañjaya dit : Puis il frappa de nouveau Vāsudeva (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) de vingt flèches, et Pārtha (Arjuna) de cinq. Après cela, Aśvatthāman déversa sur Arjuna une pluie de soixante flèches — une montée en puissance dans la violence incessante du champ de bataille.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how quickly violence escalates in war: measured strikes become overwhelming barrages. In the Mahābhārata’s ethical frame, it underscores the strain placed on dharma in battle—where duty and survival can drive increasingly severe actions.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāman (or the attacking warrior in this sequence) hits Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) with twenty arrows and Arjuna with five, and then intensifies the assault by showering Arjuna with sixty arrows.