Shloka 12
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्या भारत शल्यपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धाविषयक बारहवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ,भीमसेनस्तु सप्तत्या सात्यकिर्नवभि: शरै:
iti prakāraśrīmahābhārate śalyaparvaṇi saṅkulayuddhaviṣayakaḥ dvādaśo 'dhyāyaḥ pūrṇaḥ | bhīmasenas tu saptatyā sātyakir navabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Demikianlah, dalam Mahābhārata yang mulia, pada Śalya Parva, berakhirlah bab kedua belas yang mengisahkan kekacauan dan hiruk-pikuk pertempuran. Dalam bentrokan itu pula, Bhīmasena tertusuk tujuh puluh anak panah, dan Sātyaki sembilan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a closing marker (colophon) and underscores the harsh reality of war: even righteous-aligned heroes are wounded. Ethically, it highlights the cost of kṣatriya-duty in a fratricidal conflict—valor persists, yet suffering is unavoidable.
Sañjaya signals the completion of a chapter describing the confusion of battle, then briefly notes battlefield outcomes: Bhīmasena is pierced by seventy arrows and Sātyaki by nine, indicating the intensity of the ongoing combat.