Shloka 56
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
स हि नानाविधैर्बाणैरिष्वस्त्रप्रवरो युधि
sa hi nānāvidhair bāṇair iṣv-astrapravaro yudhi
Sañjaya dit : Car lui—éminent dans la science de l’arc et des armes de trait—frappait au combat de flèches de mille sortes, révélant la maîtrise redoutée d’un guerrier dont l’art fait du champ de bataille une épreuve d’endurance et de devoir selon le dharma, au cœur du tumulte de la guerre.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the ethical tension of kṣatriya life: excellence in weaponry is praised as a warrior virtue, yet it operates within the grave moral weight of battle, where skill becomes both duty-fulfillment and a source of destruction.
Sañjaya describes a leading archer on the battlefield unleashing many varieties of arrows, emphasizing his superiority in missile-weapons and the intensity of the ongoing combat.