Shloka 17
महेन्द्रशत्रवो येन हिरण्यपुरवासिन: । अक्ष्णोनिमिषमात्रेण पौलोमा: सगणा हता:,“जो लोभरहित, बुद्धिमान, लज्जाशील, क्षमावान्, रूपवान, बलवान, सुन्दर शरीरधारी, दूसरोंको मान देनेवाले, प्रीतिपात्र, वीर तथा सत्यपराक्रमी हैं, जिनके कर्मोकी देवतालोग भी प्रशंसा करते हैं, जिनके कर्म सबल एवं महान् हैं, जिन पराक्रमी वीरने निवातकवचों तथा कालकेय नामक दैत्योंका विनाश किया था, जिन्होंने आँखोंकी पलक मारते-मारते हिरण्यपुरनिवासी इन्द्रशत्रु पौलोम नामक दानवोंका उनके गणोंसहित संहार कर डाला था तथा जो सामर्थ्यशाली अर्जुन अभयकी इच्छा रखनेवाले शत्रुओंको भी अभयदान देते हैं, उन्हींके बलवान् पुत्रकी भी हमलोग रक्षा नहीं कर सके
sañjaya uvāca |
mahendraśatravo yena hiraṇyapuravāsinaḥ |
akṣṇonimiṣamātreṇa paulomāḥ sagaṇā hatāḥ ||
Sanjaya said: By him, the Paulomas—Indra’s foes dwelling in Hiraṇyapura—were slain together with their hosts in the mere time of a blink. (Thus Sanjaya underscores Arjuna’s extraordinary prowess and the moral sting of the moment: even such a hero’s side could not avert the present calamity in war.)
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the contrast between extraordinary capability and the harsh constraints of war and destiny: even one who can annihilate formidable foes in an instant cannot guarantee protection in every circumstance. It invites reflection on the limits of power and the inevitability of outcomes shaped by time, karma, and the larger course of dharma-yuddha.
Sanjaya reminds Dhritarashtra of a past feat—how ‘he’ (contextually, Arjuna in the surrounding praise) destroyed the Pauloma daityas of Hiraṇyapura in the time of a blink—using it to intensify the pathos of the present situation: despite such prowess, events on the battlefield have turned grievous.