Shloka 12
तथैवान्ये महेष्वासा ये च तस्यानुयायिन: । मुमुचु: शरवर्षाणि धनंजयवधैषिण:,इसी प्रकार उसके अनुयायी वीरोंमें भी जो दूसरे-दूसरे महान् धनुर्धर थे, वे भी अर्जुनको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे उनपर बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
tathaivānye maheṣvāsā ye ca tasyānuyāyinaḥ | mumucuḥ śaravarṣāṇi dhanaṃjayavadheṣiṇaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: In the same way, other mighty archers as well—those who were his followers—poured down showers of arrows, driven by the desire to slay Dhanaṃjaya (Arjuna). The scene underscores how, in the heat of battle, loyalty to a leader and the pursuit of victory can harden into a single-minded intent to kill, intensifying the moral gravity of the conflict.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective loyalty and martial zeal can converge into an uncompromising will to destroy an opponent; it invites reflection on the ethical weight of intention (eṣiṇaḥ) in warfare, not merely the act itself.
After an initial attack (implied by ‘in the same way’), additional powerful archers—followers of a leader previously mentioned—join in and unleash volleys of arrows at Arjuna, specifically aiming to kill him.