Shloka 16
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
लगुडायोगुडाश्मान: शतघ्न्यश्न॒ सशक्तय: । गदापरिघनिस्त्रिंशशूलमुद्गरपट्टिशा:,फिर तो अर्जुनके ऊपर दंडे, लोहेके गोले, पत्थर, शतघ्नी, शक्ति, गदा, परिघ, खड़्ग, शूल, मुदगर, पट्टिश, कम्पन, ऋष्टि, नखर, मुसल, फरसे, छूरे, क्षुरप्र, नालीक, वत्सदन्त, अस्थिसंधि, चक्र, बाण, प्रास तथा अन्य नाना प्रकारके सैकड़ों अस्त्र-शस्त्र सम्पूर्ण दिशाओं और विदिशाओंसे आ-आकर पड़ने लगे
sañjaya uvāca |
laguḍāyo guḍāśmānāḥ śataghnyaś ca saśaktayaḥ |
gadāparighanistriṁśaśūlamudgarapaṭṭiśāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Clubs, iron balls and stones, heavy missiles (śataghnīs) and spears (śaktis), along with maces, iron bars, swords, tridents, hammers, and battle-axes—such weapons, in countless varieties, began to rain down upon Arjuna from every direction. The scene underscores the war’s moral pressure: amid indiscriminate violence and overwhelming force, the warrior’s steadiness and discernment are tested as much as his skill.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how dharma is tested amid chaos: when violence becomes indiscriminate and overwhelming, the ethical challenge is to maintain steadiness, clarity, and disciplined action rather than panic or cruelty.
Sañjaya describes a concentrated barrage of diverse weapons falling upon Arjuna from all directions, emphasizing the intensity of the battle and the coordinated attempt to overpower him.