Shloka 26
तेषामतिव्याहरतां शस्त्रवर्ष प्रमुकचताम् । प्रममाथोत्तमाड़्नि बीभत्सुर्निशितै: शरै:
teṣām ativyāharatāṁ śastravarṣa-pramucchatām | pramamāthottamāṅgāni bībhatsur niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Mereka berteriak congkak sambil menumpahkan hujan senjata. Saat itu Arjuna, sang Bhībhatsu, dengan panah-panahnya yang tajam menumbangkan para pemuka mereka dengan memenggal kepala-kepala terdepan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse contrasts boastful aggression with disciplined martial efficacy: prideful display (ativyāhāra) and indiscriminate weapon-rain (śastravarṣa) are met by a warrior’s precise, decisive action. Ethically, it warns that arrogance in violence invites swift consequences, while skill and resolve determine outcomes in dharmic warfare.
Opponents, shouting boasts, unleash a barrage of weapons. Arjuna (called Bībhatsu) responds by shooting keen arrows that strike down their heads—depicting a sudden turning of the fight through his superior archery.