Shloka 19
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
तस्मै बाणांस्ततो जिष्णुर्निर्मुक्ताशीविषोपमान् | प्रेषयामास संक़्रुद्धो ज्वलितज्वलनोपमान्
tasmai bāṇāṁs tato jiṣṇur nirmuktāśīviṣopamān | preṣayāmāsa saṅkruddho jvalitajvalanopamān ||
Then Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), inflamed with anger, shot at him a volley of arrows—like venomous serpents just released, like blazing fire itself—intending to check the opponent’s aggression through overwhelming force.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya impulse to meet aggression with decisive force, while implicitly warning that anger (saṅkruddha) intensifies violence; ethical strength lies in directing power toward protection and restraint rather than mere wrath.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna, angered in the confrontation, releases a rapid barrage of arrows at his opponent, described through vivid similes—like freed venomous snakes and like blazing fire—to convey their lethal speed and intensity.