Shloka 30
Āśvamedhika Parva, Adhyāya 77 — Saindhava resistance, Arjuna’s restraint, and Duḥśalā’s supplication
तांस्तु सर्वान् नरव्याप्र:सैन्धवान् व्यचरद् बली । अलातचक्रवद् राजन् शरजालै: समार्पयत्,राजन! उस समय महाबली पुरुषसिंह अर्जुन अलातचक्रकी भाँति घूम-घूमकर सारे सैन्धवोंपर बाण-समूहोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
tāṁs tu sarvān naravyāghraḥ saindhavān vyacarad balī | alātacakravad rājan śarajālaiḥ samārpayat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then the mighty Arjuna, tiger among men, ranged about among all those Saindhavas and, O king, showered them with nets of arrows, whirling like a blazing firebrand spun in a circle—an image of overwhelming martial mastery directed toward subduing the foe.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined martial excellence in the service of a warrior’s duty (kṣatriya-dharma): power is portrayed not as chaos but as controlled, skillful action—Arjuna’s movement and arrow-fire are compared to a deliberate, continuous fiery circle.
Arjuna, described as mighty and heroic, moves rapidly among the Saindhava fighters and overwhelms them by releasing dense volleys of arrows, likened to the circular blaze formed when a firebrand is spun.