Shloka 66
एवमुक््त्वार्करश्म्याभं सुतीक्षणं तं शरोत्तमम् । व्यसृज्यत् सात्वते द्रौणिर्वज्ञ॑ वृत्रे यथा हरि:,ऐसा कहकर द्रोणकुमार अश्वत्थामाने सात्यकिपर सूर्यकी किरणोंके समान तेजस्वी तथा अत्यन्त तीखा उत्तम बाण छोड़ दिया; मानो इन्द्रने वृत्रासुरपर वज्रका प्रहार किया हो
evam uktvārkaraśmyābhaṃ sutīkṣṇaṃ taṃ śarottamam | vyasṛjat sātvate drauṇir vajraṃ vṛtre yathā hariḥ ||
Setelah berkata demikian, putra Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, melepaskan kepada Sātyaki anak panah terbaik itu—berkilau laksana sinar matahari dan amat tajam—bagaikan Indra menghantam Vṛtra dengan vajra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how battlefield actions can take on mythic proportions: a single, deliberate act of violence is framed as a world-shaping strike (Indra vs. Vṛtra). Ethically, it warns that when anger and rivalry intensify, combatants may justify extreme force by invoking heroic or cosmic models—raising the stakes for responsibility and restraint.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā, after speaking, shoots a brilliant and razor-sharp arrow at Sātyaki. The poet compares this release to Indra hurling the thunderbolt at Vṛtra, emphasizing the arrow’s power and the seriousness of the attack.