Shloka 21
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
उनके रथ, घोड़े और हाथी उत्तम कोटिके थे। पैदल सैनिक भी बड़े भयंकर थे। वे नाना प्रकारके बाजे बजाने-वालोंके साथ हर्षमें भरकर नाचते-कूदते और हँसते थे ।। तस्य सैन्यस्य महतो महामात्रवरैर्वृतः । मध्ये वृकोदरो< भ्यायात् त्वदीयान् नागधूर्गत:,उस विशाल सेनाके मध्यभागमें हाथीकी पीठपर बड़े-बड़े महावतोंसे घिरकर बैठे हुए भीमसेन आपके सैनिकोंकी ओर बढ़े आ रहे थे अपतत् तच्छिरो राजन् कुण्डलोपचितं महत् राजन! उस महासमरमें मारे गये अनुविन्दका कुण्डलमण्डित महान् मस्तक शम्बरासुरके सिरके समान कटकर गिरा और समस्त केकयोंको शोकमें डालता हुआ शीतघ्र पृथ्वीपर जा पड़ा
tasya sainyasya mahato mahāmātravaraīr vṛtaḥ | madhye vṛkodaro 'bhyāyāt tvadīyān nāgadhūr-gataḥ || apatad tacchiro rājan kuṇḍalopacitaṃ mahat | mahāsamare māryamāṇasyānuvindasya śambarāsuraśiro-yathā ||
Sañjaya said: In the midst of that vast host, Bhīmasena—Vṛkodara—mounted upon an elephant and surrounded by excellent mahouts and commanders, advanced straight toward your troops. Then, O King, in that great battle the large head of Anuvinda, adorned with earrings, was struck off and fell to the earth—like the head of the demon Śambara—casting the Kekayas into grief. The passage underscores the brutal momentum of war: valor and martial display surge forward, yet the immediate fruit is bereavement and the spreading of sorrow through allied ranks.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical cost of war: even amid martial prowess and disciplined advance, the immediate consequence is death and communal sorrow. It implicitly warns that victory-seeking action in battle inevitably spreads grief across allies and families, reminding the listener (Dhṛtarāṣṭra) of the heavy moral and emotional burden of the conflict.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma (Vṛkodara) advancing into the center of the opposing army while mounted on an elephant and surrounded by attendants. In the same battle sequence, Anuvinda is slain; his earring-adorned head is severed and falls, causing the Kekaya warriors to mourn.