Shloka 75
इन सब वीरोंने हाहाकार करते हुए हाथमें धनुष लेकर वीर अश्वत्थामाको चारों ओरसे घेर लिया ।। ते विंशतिपदे यत्ता गुरुपुत्रममर्षणम् । पज्चभि: पज्चभिर्बाणैरभ्यघ्नन् सर्वतः समम्,उन सावधान रथियोंने बीसवें पगपर अमर्षशील गुरुपुत्रको पा लिया और सब ओरसे पाँच-पाँच बाणोंद्वारा एक साथ ही उसपर चोट की
sañjaya uvāca | te viṁśati-pade yattā guru-putram amarṣaṇam | pañcabhiḥ pañcabhir bāṇair abhyaghnan sarvataḥ samam ||
Sañjaya said: Those vigilant warriors, having advanced to within twenty paces of the Guru’s son, the fierce and unyielding Aśvatthāmā, struck him all at once from every side—each showering him with five arrows. The scene is one of collective martial resolve: many fighters converge upon a single formidable opponent, illustrating how, in the heat of war, coordinated force is used to check a dangerous combatant, even as the ethical tension of surrounding and overwhelming one man remains implicit in the narrative.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield pragmatism: when a single warrior becomes a grave threat, coordinated action is employed to contain him. Ethically, it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor (single combat, honor) and the harsh necessities of war (group tactics to neutralize danger).
A group of alert fighters closes in to within twenty paces of Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) and attacks him simultaneously from all directions, each warrior releasing five arrows, creating a concentrated, encircling barrage.