Shloka 24
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
स तोमरव्यग्रकरश्चारुमौलि: स्वलंकृतः । शरन्मध्यंदिनाकभिस्तेजसा व्यदहद् रिपून्,उस समय सुन्दर मुकुट और आभूषणोंसे विभूषित हो हाथमें तोमर लेकर शरत्कालके मध्याह्न सूर्यके समान प्रकाशित होनेवाले भीमसेन अपने तेजसे शत्रुओंको दग्ध करने लगे स षष्ट्या सात्यकिं विद्ध्वा स्वर्णपुड्ूखे शिलाशितै: । ननाद बलवन्नादं तिष्ठ तिछेति चाब्रवीत् उसने शिलापर तेज किये गये सुवर्णपंखयुक्त साठ बाणोंद्वारा सात्यकिको घायल करके बड़े जोरकी गर्जना की और कहा--'खड़ा रह, खड़ा रह”
sa tomaravyagrakaraś cārumauḻiḥ svalankṛtaḥ | śaranmadhyandinākabhis tejasā vyadahad ripūn || sa ṣaṣṭyā sātyakiṁ viddhvā svarṇapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ | nanāda balavannādaṁ tiṣṭha tiṣṭheti cābravīt ||
Sañjaya said: Adorned with a beautiful crown and ornaments, his hand intent on the javelin, Bhīmasena blazed like the midday sun in autumn, scorching the enemy ranks with his splendor. Then, striking Sātyaki with sixty arrows—golden-feathered and honed upon stone—he roared loudly and cried, “Stand! Stand!” The scene underscores the war’s harsh ethic: prowess and intimidation are used to break an opponent’s resolve, even as valor is measured by facing such terror without yielding.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kṣatriya-war ethic where radiance (tejas), fearlessness, and psychological challenge are integral to combat; moral pressure is applied through displays of power, testing an opponent’s steadiness under threat.
Bhīma, splendidly adorned and armed, advances with sun-like brilliance, overwhelms enemies, then wounds Sātyaki with sixty sharpened, golden-feathered arrows and challenges him loudly to stand and fight.