Shloka 6
भीष्मस्य मण्डलव्यूहः — Bhīṣma’s Maṇḍala Battle-Formation and the Opening Engagements
तांस्तु सर्वान् महेष्वासान् सात्यकि: सत्यविक्रम: । जघान परमेष्वासो दिव्येनास्त्रेण वीर्यवान्,परंतु श्रेष्ठ धनुर्धर सत्यपराक्रमी शक्तिशाली सात्यकिने उन समस्त धनुर्धर योद्धाओंको अपने दिव्यास्त्रके द्वारा मार डाला
tāṁstu sarvān maheṣvāsān sātyakiḥ satyavikramaḥ | jaghāna parameṣvāso divyenāstreṇa vīryavān ||
Sañjaya said: Then Sātyaki—true in valor, mighty and foremost among archers—struck down all those great bowmen by means of a divine weapon. The scene underscores the terrible efficiency of celestial arms in war: prowess joined with higher weaponry can decide fate swiftly, even against many skilled fighters at once.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the dharmic framework of epic warfare, extraordinary skill combined with divinely empowered weapons can overwhelm even many elite opponents—raising ethical awareness about the fearsome, decisive nature of astras and the responsibility borne by those who wield them.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki, renowned as a supreme archer, uses a celestial missile-weapon to strike down a group of great bowmen, marking a moment of rapid and overwhelming victory on the battlefield.