Shloka 33
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
तत: शरसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च । ससूजे द्रौणिरायस्त: संस्तभ्य च रणे<र्जुनम्
tataḥ śara-sahasrāṇi prayutāny arbudāni ca | sasūje drauṇir āyastaḥ saṃstabhya ca raṇe 'rjunam ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā), après avoir visé, arrêta Arjuna au cœur du combat et se mit à faire pleuvoir sur lui des flèches par milliers, par dizaines de milliers, et même par crores : une tempête de traits pour l’immobiliser et le dominer.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, mastery of force and tactics can be used to overwhelm an opponent; ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the destructive excess that battle can unleash when victory becomes the sole aim.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā (Drauṇi), son of Droṇa, takes aim, checks Arjuna’s movement on the battlefield, and unleashes a massive barrage of arrows—described in hyperbolic numbers to convey the intensity of the assault.