Shloka 12
भीष्मवधाय प्रयाणम् — The Advance toward Bhīṣma and Counter-Engagements
तथेतरांस्तव सुतांस्ताडयामास भारत | शरैर्बहुविधै: संख्ये रुक्मपुड्खै: सुतेजनै:,भारत! इसी प्रकार रणभूमिमें सोनेकी पाँखवाले अत्यन्त तीखे और बहुसंख्यक बाणोंद्वारा उन्होंने आपके अन्य पुत्रोंको भी पीड़ित किया
tathetarāṁs tava sutāṁs tāḍayāmāsa bhārata | śarair bahuvidhaiḥ saṅkhye rukmapuṅkhaiḥ sutejanaiḥ ||
Sanjaya said: “So too, O Bharata, in the thick of battle he struck and harassed your other sons with many kinds of arrows—gold-feathered and exceedingly sharp—inflicting pain and pressure upon them amid the clash of arms.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s war-ethic: in saṅkhya (open battle), a warrior’s prowess manifests through disciplined, effective force. It also highlights the moral weight of conflict—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons face the tangible consequences of the war they are entangled in.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warrior being described continues his assault, now wounding and pressuring the other Kaurava princes with numerous, extremely sharp, gold-feathered arrows amid the battle.