Shloka 24
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
ततः सुविद्धा: सरथा: सनागा योधा विनेदुर्भरतर्षभाणाम् । अन्तर्हिता भीष्ममुखा: सहा श्वाः किरीटिना कीर्णरथा: पृषत्कै:
tataḥ suviddhāḥ sarathāḥ sanāgā yodhā vinedur bharatarṣabhāṇām | antarhitā bhīṣmamukhāḥ sahāśvāḥ kirīṭinā kīrṇarathāḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ ||
Maka para kesatria pasukan Kuru—para penunggang kereta perang beserta keretanya dan para penunggang gajah beserta gajahnya—yang tertembus panah di sekujur tubuh, mulai menjerit kesakitan. Dan ketika Kirīṭin (Arjuna) menutupi kereta-kereta mereka dengan hujan anak panah yang rapat, Bhīṣma dan para jawara terdepan lainnya, bersama kuda-kuda mereka, seakan lenyap dari pandangan—terbenam dan terselubung oleh badai senjata itu.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even the greatest warriors can be reduced to helplessness amid violence, and martial glory quickly turns into suffering. It implicitly cautions that power and pride are fragile when driven by conflict, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on the cost of kṣatriya warfare.
After being struck repeatedly, the Kuru warriors—on chariots and elephants—cry out in pain. Arjuna (Kirīṭin) releases such a dense volley of arrows that Bhīṣma and other leading fighters, along with their horses, appear to disappear, their chariots completely obscured by the arrow-shower.