Shloka 23
भीमसेन–कर्णयुद्धवर्णनम्
Description of the Bhīmasena–Karṇa Engagement
ततो द्रौणिस्त्रिसप्तत्या वासुदेवमताडयत् । अर्जुन च त्रिभिर्भल्लैर्ध्वजमश्वांश्व पडचभि:,उस समय अअभश्वत्थामाने भगवान् श्रीकृष्णको तिहत्तर बाण मारे, तीन भल्लोंसे अर्जुनको चोट पहुँचायी और पाँचसे उनके ध्वज एवं घोड़ोंको घायल कर दिया
tato drauṇis trisaptatyā vāsudevam atāḍayat | arjunaṃ ca tribhir bhallair dhvajam aśvāṃś ca pañcabhiḥ ||
Kemudian Aśvatthāman, putra Droṇa, menghantam Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) dengan tujuh puluh tiga anak panah. Dengan tiga anak panah bhalla yang tajam ia melukai Arjuna, dan dengan lima lagi ia mencederai panji serta kuda-kuda Arjuna.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war pressures warriors toward increasingly destructive tactics—striking not only the main fighter but also the charioteer, banner, and horses—thereby testing dharma through the need for discipline, restraint, and steadfastness amid chaos.
Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi) launches a heavy volley: he hits Kṛṣṇa with seventy-three arrows, wounds Arjuna with three bhalla-arrows, and then damages Arjuna’s chariot banner and horses with five more arrows.