Shloka 24
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
ततः सुविद्धा: सरथा: सनागा योधा विनेदुर्भरतर्षभाणाम् । अन्तर्हिता भीष्ममुखा: सहा श्वाः किरीटिना कीर्णरथा: पृषत्कै:
tataḥ suviddhāḥ sarathāḥ sanāgā yodhā vinedur bharatarṣabhāṇām | antarhitā bhīṣmamukhāḥ sahāśvāḥ kirīṭinā kīrṇarathāḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Alors les guerriers de l’armée des Kuru — conducteurs de chars avec leurs chars et cavaliers d’éléphants avec leurs éléphants — transpercés de part en part, se mirent à crier de douleur. Et lorsque le Kirīṭin (Arjuna) couvrit leurs chars d’une pluie de flèches si serrée, Bhīṣma et les autres champions éminents, avec leurs chevaux, semblèrent disparaître aux regards — submergés et voilés par cette tempête de traits.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even the greatest warriors can be reduced to helplessness amid violence, and martial glory quickly turns into suffering. It implicitly cautions that power and pride are fragile when driven by conflict, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on the cost of kṣatriya warfare.
After being struck repeatedly, the Kuru warriors—on chariots and elephants—cry out in pain. Arjuna (Kirīṭin) releases such a dense volley of arrows that Bhīṣma and other leading fighters, along with their horses, appear to disappear, their chariots completely obscured by the arrow-shower.