Shloka 293
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
प्राविशन् मेदिनीं भीमा: क्रीज्च॑ पत्ररथा इव । वे पंखधारी भयानक बाण भीमसेनकी बायीं भुजा छेदकर पृथ्वीमें समा गये, मानो पक्षी क्रौंच पर्वतको जा रहे हों
prāviśan medinīṃ bhīmāḥ krīñca-patrarathā iva | te pakṣa-dhārī bhayānakā bāṇā bhīmasenakī bāhūṃ chittvā pṛthivīṃ samāgatāḥ, māno pakṣiṇaḥ krauñca-parvataṃ yānti ||
Sañjaya said: Those dreadful, winged arrows—terrifying in their force—cut through Bhīmasena’s arm and plunged into the earth, as if they were birds flying toward the Krauñca mountain. The scene underscores the brutal precision of war, where even the mightiest warrior’s body is made vulnerable, and the battlefield’s momentum drives weapons onward beyond their immediate target.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of war: strength and valor do not make one invulnerable. It implicitly cautions against the dehumanizing momentum of violence—where weapons continue their course beyond the immediate act—inviting reflection on restraint and the ethical cost of battle.
Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where fearsome, feathered arrows strike Bhīmasena, sever his arm, and then sink into the earth. The motion of the arrows is compared to birds flying toward the Krauñca mountain, emphasizing speed, inevitability, and grim force.