Shloka 16
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
आपीडिनो रक्तदन्ता मत्तमातड्रविक्रमा: । इन सबकी छाती चौड़ी और भुजाएँ तथा आँखें बड़ी थीं। वे सब-के-सब ऊँचे कदके थे। उन्होंने भाँति-भाँतिके शिरोभूषण एवं हार धारण किये थे। उनके दाँत लाल थे और वे मतवाले हाथीके समान पराक्रमी थे ।। नानाविरागवसना गन्धचूर्णावचूर्णिता:,तयोस्तु धनुषी चित्रे छित्त्वा शौरिर्महायशा: । अथ तौ सायकैस्ती&णैर्वारियामास संयुगे तब महायशस्वी सात्यकिने अपने तीखे बाणोंसे उन दोनोंके विचित्र धनुषोंको काटकर उन्हें युद्धस्थलमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया
āpīḍino raktadantā mattamātaṅgadravikramāḥ | nānāvirāgavasanā gandhacūrṇāvacūrṇitāḥ | tayoḥ tu dhanuṣī citre chittvā śaurir mahāyaśāḥ | atha tau sāyakais tīkṣṇair vārayāmāsa saṃyuge ||
Sañjaya said: They wore crested head-ornaments; their teeth were red, and their might in onset was like that of intoxicated elephants. Clad in garments of many hues and dusted with fragrant powders, they advanced in the fight. Then the illustrious Śauri (Sātyaki), cutting down their two ornate bows, checked them in battle; and with sharp arrows he held them back from pressing forward. The scene underscores the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic: splendor and ferocity do not decide righteousness—skill, resolve, and disciplined restraint shape the immediate course of combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the war narrative, outward grandeur and ferocity are secondary to disciplined prowess and strategic restraint. By disabling the opponents’ bows and halting their advance, Sātyaki exemplifies controlled force—an aspect of kṣatriya conduct where effectiveness and restraint govern violence.
Sañjaya describes two formidable, richly adorned fighters advancing like maddened elephants. Sātyaki (called Śauri) counters by cutting their ornate bows and then using sharp arrows to stop them from moving forward in the battle.