Shloka 3
भीष्मरक्षण-उद्योगः, शिखण्डि-विवर्जनं, सर्वतोभद्र-व्यूहः
Protection of Bhīṣma, Exemption of Śikhaṇḍin, and the Sarvatobhadra Array
मुमोच निशितांस्तीक्ष्णान् नाराचान् पज्चविंशतिम् । तेडपतन् सहसा राजंस्तस्मिन् राक्षसपुज़रवे
sañjaya uvāca |
mumoca niśitāṁs tīkṣṇān nārācān pañcaviṁśatim |
te 'patans sahasā rājan tasmin rākṣasapuṅgave ||
Sañjaya said: He released twenty-five sharp, keen-pointed nārāca arrows. O King, they fell all at once upon that foremost of the Rākṣasas—an image of swift, concentrated violence characteristic of the war’s relentless momentum.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse itself is primarily descriptive rather than didactic: it highlights the concentrated, decisive use of force in battle. Ethically, within the Mahābhārata’s war-frame, it reflects the kṣatriya arena where skill and resolve are exercised, while also underscoring how swiftly violence escalates and overwhelms.
Sañjaya reports to the king that a warrior shoots twenty-five sharp nārāca missiles, which strike simultaneously upon a powerful Rākṣasa opponent, emphasizing suddenness and intensity in the ongoing combat.