Shloka 87
Śaineya’s Breakthrough and Reunion with Arjuna (शैनेयस्य समागमः)
विव्याध पाण्डवान् युद्धे त्रिभिस्त्रिभिरजिद्वागै: । शिखण्डिनं च विव्याध त्रिभि: पठचभिरेव च,भरतश्रेष्ठ। तदनन्तर शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले कृतवर्माने टूटे हुए उस विशाल धनुषको त्यागकर दूसरा धनुष हाथमें ले लिया और युद्धमें पाण्डवोंको तीन-तीन बाण मारकर घायल कर दिया। साथ ही शिखण्डीको भी तीन और पाँच बाणोंसे बींध डाला
sañjaya uvāca |
vivyādha pāṇḍavān yuddhe tribhis tribhir ajidvāgaiḥ |
śikhaṇḍinaṃ ca vivyādha tribhiḥ pañcabhir eva ca, bharataśreṣṭha ||
Sañjaya said: In the battle, Kṛtavarmā pierced the Pāṇḍavas with arrows—three at a time—unfaltering in combat. He also struck Śikhaṇḍin with three and then with five arrows, O best of the Bharatas. The scene underscores the relentless mechanics of war: prowess and resolve drive the action, while the ethical weight lies in the larger conflict where skill is employed in service of one’s chosen side.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless momentum of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the moral gravity of war: martial excellence is ethically neutral in itself, but its use gains moral weight from the cause, allegiance, and consequences within the larger dharma-conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Kṛtavarmā, after continuing the fight with unwavering force, wounds the Pāṇḍava warriors by striking them with sets of three arrows, and then also pierces Śikhaṇḍin with three and five arrows, intensifying the combat in this section of Droṇa Parva.