Shloka 23
भीमसेन-धृष्टद्युम्नयोर्वाक्यं
Bhīmasena and Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s Speeches on Kṣātra-Dharma
शरैरवचकर्तोंग्रैद्रार्णिं वज्ञाशनिप्रभै: । क्षुरप्रैरर्धचन्द्रैश्ष नाराचै: सशिलीमुखै:
śarair avacakar toṅgrair drāriṇīṁ vajrāśaniprabhaiḥ | kṣuraprair ardhacandraiś ca nārācaiḥ saśilīmukhaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: With sharp, well-whetted arrows—gleaming like thunderbolts—along with razor-headed shafts, crescent-bladed missiles, heavy nārācas, and reed-like śilīmukhas, he struck down the enemy host. The scene underscores the relentless mechanics of war, where skill and weaponry overwhelm bodies and resolve alike, even as the larger struggle over rightful order (dharma) continues to unfold through violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare reduces moral and political disputes to the impersonal force of weapons; it implicitly warns that even when one claims dharma, the means—violence and destruction—carry grave ethical weight and consequences.
Sañjaya describes a combatant overwhelming the opposing army with volleys of specialized arrows—razor-headed, crescent-bladed, heavy nārācas, and śilīmukhas—emphasizing the intensity and technical arsenal of the Kurukṣetra battle.