Shloka 16
अथैनं पञ्चविंशत्या सायकानां समार्पयत् । त्वरमाणस्त्वराकाले पुनश्न दशभि: शरै:,और तत्काल ही उनपर पचीस बाणोंका प्रहार किया। शीघ्रताके अवसरपर शीघ्रता करनेवाले सोमदत्तने सात्यकिको पुनः दस बाणोंसे घायल कर दिया
athainaṁ pañcaviṁśatyā sāyakānāṁ samārpayat | tvaramāṇas tvarākāle punaś ca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, seizing the moment, he struck him with twenty-five arrows. And, acting with speed when speed was required, he again wounded him with ten more shafts. The verse underscores the battlefield ethic of alertness and timely action—swift initiative becomes decisive amid the pressure of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of timely decisiveness: when urgency arises, swift and focused action can determine outcomes. It also reflects the relentless momentum of combat, where initiative and responsiveness are treated as virtues within the war-code.
Sañjaya reports that Somadatta strikes Sātyaki with a volley of twenty-five arrows and then, pressing the advantage, wounds him again with ten more arrows—an escalation meant to check Sātyaki’s advance in the Drona Parva battle.