Shloka 41
अतिकायवधः
The Slaying of Atikāya
तांश्चैवसर्वान् स हरीन् शरैस्सर्वायसैर्बली ।विव्याथाभिमुखस्सङ्ख्येभीमकायोनिशाचर ।।।।
tāṃś caiva sarvān sa harīn śaraiḥ sarvāyasair balī | vivyādha abhimukhaḥ saṅkhye bhīma-kāyo niśācaraḥ || 6.71.41 ||
Raksasa pengembara malam itu, bertubuh mengerikan dan sangat kuat, menghadapi mereka di medan laga lalu menikam semua Vānara itu dengan panah-panah besi.
The powerful night ranger of terrible form, pierced all monkeys who were facing him in the battlefield with iron arrows.
FAQs
The verse underscores the harsh reality of adharma-driven aggression: power used to dominate the many is not validated by success; dharma is evaluated by rightful cause and restraint, not mere victory.
Atikāya directly engages the front-facing Vānara fighters and wounds them en masse with iron arrows.
For the attacker, relentless force; for the defenders (implicitly), steadfastness in facing the enemy.