Shloka 9
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
मुमोच परिघं घोरं सोमदत्तस्य मूर्थनि । फिर शक्तिसे इन्हें विदीर्ण करके सात बाणोंद्वारा पुन: गहरी चोट पहुँचायी। तत्पश्चात् सात्यकिके लिये भीमसेनने सोमदत्तके मस्तकपर नूतन, सुदृढ़ एवं भयंकर परिघका प्रहार किया ।। ८$ || सात्वतोप्यग्निसंकाशं मुमोच शरमुत्तमम्
sañjaya uvāca | mumoca parighaṃ ghoraṃ somadattasya mūrdhani | sātvato 'py agnisaṅkāśaṃ mumoca śaram uttamam ||
Sanjaya said: Bhimasena hurled a dreadful iron club onto Somadatta’s head. Then, against Sātyaki as well, he released an excellent arrow, blazing like fire—pressing the battle forward with relentless force amid the harsh ethics of war, where valor and duty are asserted through decisive strikes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its starkest form: in a righteous war, warriors act decisively and without hesitation, yet the narrative implicitly invites reflection on the grave moral weight of violence and the responsibility borne by those who wield power.
Sanjaya reports that Bhimasena strikes Somadatta by hurling a fearsome iron club at his head, and then also launches a superb, fire-bright arrow toward Sātyaki, indicating rapid shifts of aggression across multiple opponents in the thick of battle.