Shloka 4
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
तं द्वादशाख्यैर्नकुलो माधवद्च त्रिभि: शरै: । धृष्टय्युम्नश्व॒ सप्तत्या भीमसेनश्न सप्तभि:
taṁ dvādaśākhyair nakulo mādhavaṁ ca tribhiḥ śaraiḥ | dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca saptatyā bhīmasenaś ca saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Nakula struck him with twelve arrows, and Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) with three. Dhṛṣṭadyumna pierced him with seventy, and Bhīmasena with seven. Thus, in the press of battle, the Pāṇḍava warriors concentrated their shafts upon a single foe, displaying coordinated martial resolve amid the harsh ethics of war where duty is pursued through disciplined force.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined, coordinated action in the performance of kṣatriya-duty: multiple warriors focus their efforts decisively. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension—dharma pursued through force—where resolve and strategy are praised, yet the cost of violence remains implicit.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield moment in which Nakula, Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava), Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Bhīma each strike the same opponent with a specified number of arrows, indicating concentrated attack and the intensity of the Kurukṣetra combat.