Shloka 28
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
ततस्ते सैन्धवा योधा: सर्व एव सराजका: । नादृश्यन्त शरै: कीर्णा: शलभैरिव पादपा:,फिर तो पार्थके बाणोंसे आच्छादित हो समस्त सैन्धव योद्धा टिडिियोंसे ढँके हुए वृक्षोंकी भाँति अपने राजासहित अदृश्य हो गये
tataste saindhavā yodhāḥ sarva eva sarājakāḥ | nādṛśyanta śaraiḥ kīrṇāḥ śalabhair iva pādapāḥ ||
Vaiśaṃpāyana said: Then all those Sindhu warriors—together with their king—were so thickly covered by Pārtha’s arrows that they could no longer be seen, like trees hidden from view when swarmed over by locusts. The image underscores the overwhelming force of disciplined martial skill in battle, where arrogance and aggression are checked by superior prowess.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming, disciplined strength can neutralize hostile force; in the ethical frame of kṣatriya-dharma, aggression meets its limit when confronted by superior skill and resolve.
Arjuna (Pārtha) showers arrows so densely upon the Saindhava fighters—along with their king—that they become visually obscured, compared to trees hidden by a swarm of locusts.