Shloka 38
फिर शानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले बीस बाणोंसे उसके सारथिको और चार तीखे सायकोंसे उसके चारों घोड़ोंको भी घायल कर दिया ।। विद्ध्वा विद्ध्वानदद् द्रौ्णिं कम्पयन्निव मेदिनीम् । आददे सर्वलोकस्य प्राणानिव महारणे,धष्टद्युम्न अश्वत्थामाको बींध-बींधकर पृथ्वीको कँपाते हुए-से गरज रहे थे। मानो उस महासमरमें वे सम्पूर्ण जगतके प्राण ले रहे हों
tataḥ śānaparaṃ cāḍhāya tejaḥkṛtair hiraṇmayapakṣair viṃśatibhir bāṇair asya sārathiṃ caturbhiś ca tīkṣṇaiḥ sāyakaiś cāsya caturo 'śvān api vyathayat || viddhvā viddhvān adad drauṇiṃ kampayann iva medinīm | ādade sarvalokasya prāṇān iva mahāraṇe || dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ aśvatthāmā ca bhindam-bhindan pṛthivīṃ kampayanta iva garjantaḥ sma, yathā mahāsamare sarvalokasya prāṇān ādadhyātām iva ||
Kemudian, dengan dua puluh anak panah tajam yang diasah di batu asahan dan bersayap keemasan, ia melukai saisnya; dan dengan empat panah yang runcing ia pun mencederai keempat kuda. Setelah berulang kali menembus Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā), sang kesatria perkasa seakan mengguncang bumi. Dalam perang besar itu, Dhrishtadyumna dan Aśvatthāmā, saling merobek dan menembus tanpa henti, mengaum laksana singa—seolah hendak merenggut napas kehidupan seluruh dunia.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in war, martial excellence can become indistinguishable from destructive rage: the fighters appear to ‘take the world’s life-breath.’ It invites reflection on the ethical gravity of violence—how kṣatriya valor, when unrestrained, makes the battlefield feel like a cosmic loss of life rather than a mere contest of arms.
Sañjaya describes a fierce exchange in which Dhṛṣṭadyumna shoots twenty golden-fletched arrows to wound Aśvatthāmā’s charioteer and four sharp arrows to injure the four horses. After piercing Aśvatthāmā (Drauṇi), both warriors roar and fight with such intensity that the earth seems to tremble, as if the battle were draining life itself from all beings.