Shloka 17
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
ततस्तौ रथिनां श्रेष्ठी लब्धलक्ष्यौ धनंजयम् | वासुदेवं च वार्ष्णेयं शरवर्ष: समन्तत:,तदनन्तर रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ श्रुतायु और अच्युतायुने अपना लक्ष्य सामने पाकर अर्जुन तथा वृष्णिवंशी श्रीकृष्णपर चारों ओरसे बाण-वर्षा करके चक्र, कूबर, रथ, अश्व, ध्वज और पताकासहित उन्हें उस रणक्षेत्रमें अदृश्य कर दिया। वह अद्धभुत-सी बात हो गयी
tatas tau rathināṃ śreṣṭhī labdhalakṣyau dhanañjayam | vāsudevaṃ ca vārṣṇeyaṃ śaravarṣaḥ samantataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then those two foremost chariot-warriors, having found their mark, showered arrows on Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) and on Vāsudeva, the Vārṣṇeya (Kṛṣṇa), from every side. The scene became as though the two—together with their chariot’s parts and emblems—were swallowed up by the storm of missiles, displaying the terrifying prowess and moral blindness that war can unleash when victory is pursued at any cost.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare magnifies both skill and moral peril: extraordinary martial power can momentarily eclipse even the greatest heroes, reminding the reader that dharma in battle is not only about victory but also about restraint and right intention.
Two elite chariot-fighters (named in the Hindi gloss as Śrutāyu and Acyutāyu) locate Arjuna and Kṛṣṇa and unleash a dense, all-sided rain of arrows, making them appear obscured or ‘invisible’ amid the missile-storm.