Shloka 5
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
ततो गाण्डीवनिर्मुक्तिरिषुभिमोहितो नृप: । हयमुत्सृज्य तं वीरस्तत: पार्थमुपाद्रवत्
tato gāṇḍīva-nirmuktair iṣubhir mohitō nṛpaḥ | hayam utsṛjya taṁ vīras tataḥ pārtham upādravat ||
तब गाण्डीव से छूटे बाणों के प्रहार से व्याकुल होकर वह राजा मोहित-सा हो गया। उसने घोड़े को छोड़ दिया और वह वीर तत्क्षण पार्थ (अर्जुन) पर धावा कर बैठा।
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya resolve under pressure: even when overwhelmed by superior skill, a ruler may choose direct confrontation rather than retreat. Ethically, it frames the tension between pride-driven aggression and the disciplined, duty-bound conduct embodied by Arjuna in the Ashvamedha context.
A king, struck into confusion by Arjuna’s arrows shot from Gāṇḍīva, abandons the horse and charges straight at Arjuna (Pārtha), intensifying the battle.