Shloka 326
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
अवाकिरन् शरैस्तीक्ष्पः शतशो5थ सहस्रश: । शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले वे श्रेष्ठ रथी उन महारथी भगदत्तको सब ओरसे घेरकर उनके ऊपर सैकड़ों और हजारों पैने बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
avākiran śarais tīkṣṇaiḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-denāḥ te śreṣṭhā rathinaḥ mahārathiṃ bhagadattaṃ samantād gherayitvā tasya upari śataśaḥ sahasraśaś ca tīkṣṇa-bāṇa-vṛṣṭiṃ prāvartayan |
Sañjaya berkata: “Para kesatria kereta yang terkemuka—penyiksa musuh—mengepung sang mahāyoddha Bhagadatta dari segala sisi, lalu menumpahkan hujan anak panah yang tajam, ratusan demi ratusan, ribuan demi ribuan.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh discipline of kṣatriya-dharma in war: combatants must act with unwavering resolve in their appointed role, even when the action is destructive. It frames battlefield excellence as steadfastness and tactical coordination rather than personal sentiment.
Sanjaya reports that elite chariot-warriors encircle the mahārathi Bhagadatta and bombard him from all directions with hundreds and thousands of sharp arrows, creating an overwhelming arrow-storm aimed at breaking his resistance.