Shloka 1196
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
शिलीमुखैर्महाराज मा गास्तिषछ्ठेति चाब्रवीत् । महाराज! तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुनने अश्वत्थामाको चौंसठ बाण मारे और कहा --'खड़े रहो, भागना मत”
sañjaya uvāca | śilīmukhair mahārāja mā gāstiṣṭheti cābravīt | mahārāja! tataḥ krodhena bhareṇa arjunena aśvatthāmānaṃ catuḥṣaṣṭi-bāṇaiḥ prahṛtya uktam—“tiṣṭha, mā palāyethāḥ” |
Sanjaya said: “O King, with sharp arrows he cried, ‘Do not flee—stand your ground!’ Then Arjuna, filled with wrath, struck Ashvatthama with sixty-four arrows and commanded him, ‘Stand and do not run away.’” The moment underscores the warrior code of facing one’s opponent directly in battle, even as anger intensifies the violence of the encounter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kshatriya ideal of not retreating from a rightful battle and meeting an opponent face-to-face. It also implicitly warns how anger can drive escalation, even when one is acting within the warrior code.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Arjuna, enraged, attacks Ashvatthama with sixty-four arrows and calls out for him to stand firm rather than flee, intensifying their battlefield confrontation.