Shloka 22
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
नानानृपसुतान् वीरान् सैन्यानि विविधानि च । अलातचक्रवत् सर्व चरन् बाणैरतर्पयत्,उस समय दुर्योधन, विकर्ण, सुबाहु, दीर्घलोचन और दुःशासन बड़े क्रोधमें भरकर बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे। भारत! युद्धमें परास्त न होनेवाले महान धनुर्थर ट्रुपदने अत्यन्त घायल होकर तत्काल ही उन सबकी सेनाओंको अत्यन्त पीड़ित कर दिया। वे अलातचक्रकी भाँति सब ओर घूमकर दुर्योधन, विकर्ण, महाबली कर्ण, अनेक वीर राजकुमार तथा उनकी विविध सेनाओंको बाणोंसे तृप्त करने लगे
nānānṛpasutān vīrān sainyāni vividhāni ca | alātacakravat sarvaṁ caran bāṇair atarpayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Moving everywhere like a whirling firebrand, he satisfied with arrows the many heroic princes and their varied troops—striking them on all sides and pressing the battle without pause. The image underscores the relentless, all-encompassing momentum of a warrior’s fury in war, where prowess can quickly turn into widespread suffering for entire armies.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses the alātacakra (whirling firebrand) simile to show how martial skill, when unleashed in war, becomes all-pervading and hard to escape—highlighting both the awe of valor and the ethical weight of widespread harm caused in battle.
Vaiśampāyana describes a warrior ranging across the battlefield, rapidly striking many princes and their assorted troops with volleys of arrows, as if circling like a spinning firebrand and hitting opponents on all sides.