Shloka 3
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
तथा तु शरवर्षाणि पातयत्यनिशं प्रभो । गजस्कन्धान्महाराज कृष्णयो: स्यन्दनस्थयो:,शक्तिशाली महाराज! हाथीकी पीठसे भगदत्त रथपर बैठे हुए श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनपर निरन्तर बाणोंकी वर्षा कर रहे थे
tathā tu śaravarṣāṇi pātayaty aniśaṃ prabho | gajaskandhān mahārāja kṛṣṇayoḥ syandanastḥayoḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “Even so, O lord, from the back of his elephant Bhagadatta kept pouring down unceasing showers of arrows upon Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna as they stood upon their chariot—an image of relentless martial force directed against the very heart of the Pāṇḍava cause.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the intensity and persistence of martial effort in war: a kṣatriya’s prowess can manifest as sustained, disciplined aggression. Ethically, it frames the battlefield as a domain where resolve and duty-driven action (kṣatriya-dharma) are tested through endurance under pressure.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhagadatta, positioned atop his elephant, is continuously raining arrows upon Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna who are on their chariot, emphasizing the severity of the assault against them.