Shloka 142
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
एतस्मिन्नेव काले च विजय: शत्रुतापन:,भारत! इसी समय शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले अर्जुनने आपकी सेनाके सैकड़ों और हजारों योद्धाओंको आपके वीर पुत्रके देखते-देखते मार डाला
etasminn eva kāle ca vijayaḥ śatrutāpanaḥ | bhārata! asmin samaye śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-deno 'rjunaḥ tava senāyāḥ śatāni sahasrāṇi ca yoddhṝn tava vīra-putrasya dṛśyataḥ dṛśyataḥ mārayām āsa |
Sañjaya berkata: Pada saat itu juga, wahai Bhārata, Arjuna—Vijaya, pembakar musuh—di depan mata putramu yang gagah, menewaskan ratusan bahkan ribuan prajurit dari pasukanmu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and personal prowess can produce overwhelming, publicly witnessed destruction—intensifying ethical tension and psychological pressure. It implicitly invites reflection on the cost of conflict and the burden borne by leaders who watch their forces fall.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna, famed as Vijaya and ‘scorcher of enemies,’ at that very time slew vast numbers—hundreds and thousands—of Kaurava warriors, doing so in full view of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s heroic son (Duryodhana), thereby shaking the Kaurava side.