Shloka 12
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
सुवर्णपुड्खैरिषुभिय्धपक्षै: सुतेजनै:,उन्होंने स्वर्णभूषित गृध्रपंखयुक्त तेज बाणों तथा कर्णी, नालीक और नाराचोंद्वारा पाण्डवोंकी सेनाको आच्छादित कर दिया। तीखे बाणोंसे ध्वजोंको काट डाला और रथियोंको भी मार गिराया
sañjaya uvāca — suvarṇapuṅkhair iṣubhir gṛdhrapakṣaiḥ sutejanaiḥ; karṇī-nālīka-nārācaiś ca pāṇḍavānāṃ senām ācchādayām āsa. tīkṣṇaiḥ śaraiḥ dhvajān ciccheda rathinaś ca nipapāta.
Sanjaya said: With keen arrows fitted with golden shafts and vulture-feathered fletching, and with weapons such as karṇī, nālīka, and nārāca, he blanketed the Pāṇḍava army. With sharp shafts he cut down their standards and brought even the chariot-warriors to the ground—an image of war’s ruthless efficiency, where prowess seeks victory by breaking both symbols of honor and the fighters who uphold them.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield reality that skill and force can shatter both the outward emblems of honor (standards) and the warriors themselves. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s tension: kṣatriya-duty demands combat, yet the narrative repeatedly reminds the listener of war’s harsh, dehumanizing momentum.
Sanjaya describes a fierce missile-assault in which the Pāṇḍava forces are ‘covered’ by volleys of sharp, well-made arrows and specialized missiles (karṇī, nālīka, nārāca). The attack severs banners and strikes down chariot-fighters, signaling a decisive, demoralizing pressure on the Pāṇḍava side at that moment.