Shloka 2
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
व्यपयातेषु वासाय सर्वेषु भरतर्षभ । हत्वा संशप्तकव्रातान् दिव्यैरस्त्रै: कपिध्वज:,संजय बोले--भरतश्रेष्ठ! प्राणधारियोंका संहार करनेवाले उस भयंकर दिनके बीत जानेपर जब सूर्यदेव अस्ताचलको चले गये और संध्याकाल उपस्थित हुआ, उस समय समस्त सैनिक जब शिविरमें विश्रामके लिये चल दिये, तब विजयशील श्रीमान् कपिध्वज अर्जुन अपने दिव्यास्त्रोंद्रारा संशप्तकसमूहोंका वध करके अपने उस विजयी रथपर बैठे हुए शिविरकी ओर चले। चलते-चलते ही वे अश्रुगदुगदकण्ठ हो भगवान् गोविन्दसे इस प्रकार बोले---
vyapayāteṣu vāsāya sarveṣu bharatarṣabha | hatvā saṁśaptakavrātān divyair astraiḥ kapidhvajaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O bull among the Bharatas, when the day of slaughter had passed and evening rest was at hand, and all the troops had turned toward their camps to retire, Arjuna—he whose banner bears the monkey—having destroyed the massed Saṁśaptakas with celestial weapons, proceeded toward the camp seated upon his victorious chariot.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya frame of dharma in epic war: even after intense violence, the narrative marks a return to order—rest, camp, and accountability. It also underscores the ethical weight of vowed combatants (Saṁśaptakas) and the extraordinary, potentially perilous power of divyāstras, implying that such force is used within a duty-bound context rather than for personal cruelty.
As the battle-day ends and the army turns toward camp to rest, Sañjaya reports that Arjuna, identified by the monkey-banner, has already slain the Saṁśaptaka contingent using celestial missiles and now rides back toward the camp on his victorious chariot, setting up his subsequent speech to Kṛṣṇa (Govinda) in the following lines.