Shloka 6
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
सायकानां ततः पार्थस्त्रिषष्ट्या प्रत्यविध्यत । तोत्रैरिव महानागं कशाभिरिव वाजिनम्,तदनन्तर जैसे विशाल गजराजको अंकुशोंसे और घोड़ेको कोड़ोंसे पीटा जाय, उसी प्रकार कुन्तीकुमार भीमने तिरसठ बाणोंद्वारा कर्णको घायल कर दिया
sāyakānāṃ tataḥ pārthas triṣaṣṭyā pratyavidhyata | totrair iva mahānāgaṃ kaśābhir iva vājinam ||
Sañjaya said: Then the son of Pṛthā struck him back with sixty-three arrows—like a great elephant driven by goads, or a horse urged on by whips. The image underscores the relentless compulsion of battle: the warrior’s body is forced onward by pain and pressure, as duty and enmity drive the combatants without respite.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a forceful simile to show how, in war, combatants are driven onward by harsh necessity—pain, duty, and rivalry—much as animals are compelled by goads and whips. It highlights the ethical tension of kṣatriya life: courage and persistence are praised, yet the means are inherently violent and coercive.
Sañjaya narrates that the son of Pṛthā retaliates by piercing the opponent with sixty-three arrows. The comparison to goading an elephant and whipping a horse emphasizes the intensity and unbroken pressure of the exchange of missiles in the battlefield.