Shloka 45
भीष्मशिबिरगमनम् — Duryodhana’s Visit to Bhīṣma’s Camp and the Command Appeal
अथाभ्याशगतानां स खड्गेनामित्रकर्शन: । असिहस्तापहस्ताभ्यां तेषां गात्राण्यकृन्तत
athābhyāśagatānāṃ sa khaḍgenāmitrakarśanaḥ | asihastāpahastābhyāṃ teṣāṃ gātrāṇyakṛntata ||
Maka ketika musuh mendekat, Irāvān sang penunduk lawan memutar pedangnya—kini dengan tangan kanan, kini dengan tangan kiri—dan menebas anggota-anggota tubuh mereka.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as battlefield narration, highlighting decisive martial action when foes press close. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension: the kṣatriya’s obligation to fight in war versus the human cost of violence.
As enemies approach at close quarters, the warrior (described as a ‘crusher of foes’) swings his sword alternately with right and left hands and severs the attackers’ limbs, depicting intense hand-to-hand combat.