Shloka 166
अभिपेतुर्भुशं क्रुद्धाश्छादयन्तश्न॒ पाण्डवम् | भीष्मके धनुषका काटा जाना कौरव महारथियोंको सहन नहीं हुआ। द्रोण, कृतवर्मा, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, भूरिश्रवा, शल, शल्य और भगदत्त--ये सात महारथी अत्यन्त क़ुद्ध हो किरीटधारी अर्जुनकी ओर दौड़े तथा अपने दिव्य अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंका प्रदर्शन करते हुए पाण्डुनन्दन अर्जुनको अत्यन्त क्रोधपूर्वक बाणोंसे आच्छादित करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | abhipeturbhuśaṃ kruddhāś chādayantaś ca pāṇḍavam |
Sañjaya said: Enraged beyond measure, they rushed straight at the son of Pāṇḍu and, pressing the attack, began to cover him over with volleys of arrows. In the moral atmosphere of the war, this moment shows how wrath and rivalry drive even great warriors to concentrate their force upon a single foe, turning the battlefield into a test of endurance, resolve, and adherence to one’s chosen duty amid overwhelming violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how anger (krodha) escalates conflict: when warriors act from wrath, violence intensifies and becomes collective and overwhelming. Ethically, it contrasts disciplined duty with passion-driven aggression, reminding the listener that inner states shape outer actions even in a dharma-framed war.
Sañjaya reports that opposing warriors, furious, charge at the Pāṇḍava—understood here as Arjuna—and begin to ‘cover’ him with a dense shower of arrows, indicating a coordinated, high-pressure assault on a key fighter.