Mahabharata 7.173.25 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 173, Shloka 25
Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)
शकुनिश्चार्जुनं राजन् परिवार्य समन्तत:ः । रथैरनेकसाहसैर्गजैश्ञापि सहस्रश:
śakuniś cārjunaṃ rājan parivārya samantataḥ | rathair aneka-sāhasair gajaiś cāpi sahasraśaḥ ||
સંજય બોલ્યો—રાજન, શકુનિએ અર્જુનને સર્વ બાજુથી ઘેરી લીધો; અનેક સહસ્ર રથો અને સહસ્રો હાથીઓ વડે તેને દબાવી દીધો।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, numerical strength and tactical encirclement are deployed to neutralize key individuals; ethically, it points to the harsh realities of kṣatriya conflict where strategy often seeks advantage over fairness, thereby testing a warrior’s steadiness and judgment under pressure.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Śakuni has surrounded Arjuna from all directions with vast forces—thousands of chariots and thousands of elephants—indicating a concentrated attempt to trap and overwhelm Arjuna on the battlefield.
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