Shloka 102
तूर्ण प्रासृजदुग्राणि शरवर्षाणि पाण्डव: । युद्धकी स्पृहा रखनेवाले पाण्डुकुमार भीमसेन भी उसके इस पराक्रमकी कोई परवा न करते हुए तुरंत ही उसपर भयंकर बाणोंकी वर्षा प्रारम्भ कर दी ।। ततो द्रौणिरमहाराज छित्त्वास्य विशिखैर्धनु:
sañjaya uvāca |
tūrṇaṁ prāsṛjad ugrāṇi śaravarṣāṇi pāṇḍavaḥ |
yuddhake spṛhā rakṣṇevāle pāṇḍukumāra bhīmasena bhī usake isa parākramakī koī paravā na karate hue tūranta hī usapara bhayaṅkara bāṇoṅkī varṣā prārambha kara dī ||
tato drauṇir mahārāja chittvā’sya viśikhair dhanuḥ
Sañjaya said: The Pāṇḍava, acting with swift resolve, at once unleashed a fierce rain of arrows. Bhīmasena too—eager for battle and undeterred by the opponent’s display of prowess—immediately began to shower him with terrible shafts. Then Droṇa’s son, O great king, cut down his bow with well-aimed arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kṣatriya ethos in its stark form: resolve, speed, and technical mastery dominate the battlefield. Ethically, it also shows how martial pride and the urge to outdo an opponent can rapidly intensify violence, making self-restraint and discernment difficult amid war.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava side—explicitly Bhīma—swiftly unleashes a terrifying volley of arrows at the opponent. In response, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā counters with precision by cutting down (disabling) the attacker’s bow using arrows.