Shloka 55
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa
व्यसृजद् विशिखांस्तूर्ण शतशो5थ सहसत्रश: । सरथं कृतवर्माणं समन्तात् पर्यवारयत्,तदनन्तर दूसरे सुदृढ़ धनुषको अच्छी तरह खींचकर सात्यकिने तुरंत ही सैकड़ों और हजारों बाणोंकी वर्षा की और रथसहित कृतवर्माको सब ओरसे ढक दिया
vyasṛjad viśikhāṁs tūrṇaṁ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | sa-rathaṁ kṛtavarmāṇaṁ samantāt paryavārayat ||
Sañjaya berkata: Sātyaki dengan cepat melepaskan anak panah tajam—ratusan, lalu ribuan—dan dari segala penjuru ia mengepung Kṛtavarmā beserta keretanya, menutupinya dengan hujan panah.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, skill and determination can decisively shift the immediate balance; ethically, it also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between necessary martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the destructive intensity that battle unleashes.
Sañjaya narrates that Sātyaki rapidly shoots a massive volley of arrows and surrounds Kṛtavarmā on all sides, effectively blanketing him and his chariot with missiles.