Shloka 61
मुक्ता: सर्वेडव्यवच्छिन्ना नेमे बाणा: शिखण्डिन: । तब वे पुनः दुःशासनसे मुसकराते हुए-से बोले--“गाण्डीवधारी अर्जुनने युद्धस्थलमें ऐसे बाण छोड़े हैं, जिनका स्पर्श वज्र और विद्युतके समान असहा है। उनके तीखे बाणोंसे मैं अत्यन्त घायल हो गया हूँ। ये अविच्छिन्न रूपसे छूटनेवाले समस्त बाण शिखण्डीके नहीं हो सकते; ।। ५९-६० ह || निकृन्तमाना मर्माणि दृढावरणभेदिन:,"क्योंकि ये मेरे सुदृढ्ढ कवचको छेदकर मर्मस्थानोंमें आघात कर रहे हैं, ये बाण मेरे शरीरपर मुसलके समान चोट करते हैं। इनका स्पर्श वज़् और यमदण्डके समान असहा है। इनका वेग वज्रके समान होनेके कारण निवारण करना कठिन है। ये शिखण्डीके बाण कदापि नहीं
sañjaya uvāca | muktāḥ sarve 'vyavacchinnā neme bāṇāḥ śikhaṇḍinaḥ | nikṛntamānā marmāṇi dṛḍhāvaraṇabhedinaḥ |
Sanjaya said: “These arrows are being released in an unbroken, continuous stream; they cannot be Shikhandin’s. They are cleaving vital points and piercing even firm armor. Their touch is unbearable—like a thunderbolt or lightning—striking the body like a heavy club. Such force is hard to ward off; these are not Shikhandin’s arrows at all.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid war, discernment matters: the passage highlights careful attribution of agency and skill—recognizing the true source of an action rather than accepting appearances. It also underscores the moral weight of consequences in battle, where force and intent manifest through unmistakable signs.
In Sanjaya’s report, Duhshasana (or the speaker describing his condition) notes that the arrows arriving in an unbroken stream are too powerful and precise to be Shikhandin’s; they pierce strong armor and strike vital points, indicating that Arjuna, wielding the Gandiva, is the real archer behind the assault.