Shloka 44
Karṇa’s advance against the Pāṇḍava host; Arjuna’s clash with the Saṃśaptakas (कर्णस्य पाण्डवसेनाप्रवेशः—अर्जुनस्य संशप्तकसंप्रहारः)
एकेषुणा विभेद्यानि तानि दुर्गाणि नान्यथा । न च स्थाणुमृते शक्तो भेत्तुमेकेषुणा पुर:
duryodhana uvāca | ekeṣuṇā vibhedyāni tāni durgāṇi nānyathā | na ca sthāṇumṛte śakto bhettum ekeṣuṇā puraḥ | tapa ugram samāsthāya niyame parame sthitāḥ |
Duryodhana berkata: “Benteng-benteng itu hanya dapat ditembus oleh satu anak panah—bukan dengan cara lain. Dan selain Sthāṇu (Śiva), tak seorang pun mampu menembus kota-kota itu dengan satu panah. Mereka menempuh tapa yang dahsyat dan teguh berdiri dalam laku disiplin tertinggi.”
दुर्योधन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a mythic example to stress that certain seemingly invincible obstacles yield only to extraordinary, singular force—symbolically, to divinely sanctioned power or uniquely qualified agency—rather than to ordinary means.
Duryodhana is speaking and cites the famous motif of impregnable fortified cities that can be destroyed only by a single arrow, and only by Śiva. He uses this as persuasive rhetoric to frame the present conflict in terms of needing exceptional power to overcome formidable opponents.