Shloka 80
अध्याय १४८ — कर्णप्रभावः, धृष्टद्युम्नस्य विरथता, तथा घटोत्कच-आह्वानम्
Chapter 148: Karṇa’s Pressure, Dhṛṣṭadyumna Unhorsed, and the Summoning of Ghaṭotkaca
तत: शरमयं जाल॑ तुमुलं पाकशासनि: । व्यसृजत् पुरुषव्याप्रस्तव सैन्यजिघांसया,फिर उन पुरुषसिंह इन्द्रकुमारने आपकी सेनाके संहारकी इच्छासे बाणोंका भयंकर जाल बिछाना आरम्भ किया
tataḥ śaramayaṁ jālaṁ tumulaṁ pākaśāsaniḥ | vyasṛjat puruṣavyāghras tava sainyajighāṁsayā ||
Sañjaya said: Then Pākaśāsani (Indra), that tiger among men, spread forth a dense and tumultuous net of arrows, driven by the desire to destroy your army. The scene underscores how, in the frenzy of war, even the mightiest resort to overwhelming force, where victory is pursued through sheer martial mastery rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the war-ethic of overwhelming martial action: in the battlefield context, a great warrior (here Indra) seeks decisive victory through a crushing barrage. It implicitly contrasts the ideal of restraint with the reality that, once war is embraced, destruction becomes the chosen instrument.
Sañjaya reports that Indra (called Pākaśāsani) begins releasing a terrifying, dense ‘net’ of arrows, intending to annihilate Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s forces—an image of a sweeping missile-barrage dominating the battlefield.