Shloka 35
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
भीमसेनं च नवभिनर्नकुलं पञ्चभिस्तथा । सहदेवं तथाष्टाभि: शतेन च शिखण्डिनम्
bhīmasenaṃ ca navabhir nakulaṃ pañcabhis tathā | sahadevaṃ tathāṣṭābhiḥ śatena ca śikhaṇḍinam ||
Ia menghantam Bhīmasena dengan sembilan anak panah, Nakula dengan lima, Sahadeva dengan delapan, dan Śikhaṇḍin dengan seratus—sebuah unjuk kekuatan yang dimaksudkan untuk melumpuhkan para jawara Pāṇḍava dengan daya gempur dan gentar.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya-world ethic of the battlefield: skill and resolve are demonstrated through measured, targeted force. It also implicitly warns that prowess without restraint escalates violence, making discernment and responsibility crucial even amid war.
Sañjaya reports a combatant (implied from context) showering key Pāṇḍava allies with arrows in specific counts—nine at Bhīma, five at Nakula, eight at Sahadeva, and a massive hundred at Śikhaṇḍin—signaling an attempt to dominate and demoralize prominent fighters.