Shloka 17
भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च
Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka
शतानीकं च नवभ्िर्धर्मपुत्रं च पठचभि: । तथेतरांस्तत: शूरान् द्वाभ्यां द्वाभ्यामताडयत्
Śatānīkaṃ ca navabhir Dharmaputraṃ ca pañcabhiḥ | tathā itarāṃs tataḥ śūrān dvābhyāṃ dvābhyām atāḍayat ||
Sañjaya dit : Il frappa Śatānīka de neuf flèches et Dharmaputra (Yudhiṣṭhira) de cinq. Puis, de la même manière, il continua de frapper les autres héros—deux flèches à la fois—poussant le combat avec une force mesurée, mais inexorable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the disciplined, methodical application of force in battle—an image of controlled martial skill rather than random violence. Ethically, it underscores how warfare in the epic is often portrayed as governed by technique, targets, and measured action, even amid chaos.
Sañjaya reports a combatant’s arrow-strikes: Śatānīka is hit with nine arrows, Yudhiṣṭhira with five, and then other warriors are struck in pairs of arrows, indicating a continuing, systematic assault across the battlefield.