Shloka 66
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
एते पुरोगमा भूत्वा धृष्टद्युम्नस्य संयुगे । कर्णमस्यन्तमिष्वस्त्रैर्विचेररमितौजस:
sañjaya uvāca | ete purogamā bhūtvā dhṛṣṭadyumnasya saṃyuge | karṇam asyantam iṣv-astrair vicerur amitaujasaḥ | śikhaṇḍī sahadevo nakulaḥ śatānīko janamejayaḥ sātyakiś ca tathā bahavaḥ prabhadrakagaṇāḥ—ete sarve amit-tejasaḥ vīrā yuddhasthale dhṛṣṭadyumnam agre kṛtvā bāṇān varṣantaḥ karṇe nānāvidhair astrāśastraiḥ prahārān kurvanto viceruḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Prenant la tête du combat sous le commandement de Dhṛṣṭadyumna, ces guerriers d’une vaillance sans mesure—Śikhaṇḍin, Sahadeva, Nakula, Śatānīka, Janamejaya, Sātyaki et de nombreuses troupes des Prabhadrakas—parcouraient le champ, faisant pleuvoir les flèches et frappant Karṇa d’armes et de traits de toutes sortes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: disciplined coordination under a commander (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) and collective responsibility in confronting a powerful adversary (Karṇa). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between personal valor and the necessity of organized, strategic action within the brutal constraints of war.
A group of prominent Pandava-aligned warriors—Śikhaṇḍin, Sahadeva, Nakula, Śatānīka, Janamejaya, Sātyaki, and Prabhadraka troops—advance as the vanguard before Dhṛṣṭadyumna and range across the battlefield, showering arrows and striking Karṇa with various weapons.