Shloka 25
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
त॑ दृष्टवा द्विरदं दूरात् क्षेमधूर्तिद्धिपस्थित: । आह्वयन्नभिदुद्राव प्रमना: प्रमनस्तरम्,उनके उस हाथीको दूरसे ही देखकर हाथीपर ही बैठे हुए महामना क्षेमधूर्तिने महामनस्वी भीमसेनको ललकारते हुए उनपर धावा किया सात्यकिं च ततस््तूर्ण केकयानां महारथ: । शरैरनेकसाहसैर्बाह्वोरुगसि चार्पयत् तदनन्तर केकय-महारथी विन्दने तुरंत ही सात्यकिकी दोनों भुजाओं और छातीमें कई हजार बाण मारे
taṁ dṛṣṭvā dviradaṁ dūrāt kṣemadhūrtir adhiṣṭhitaḥ | āhvayann abhidudrāva pramāṇaḥ pramanastaram || sātyakiṁ ca tataḥ tūrṇaṁ kekayānāṁ mahārathaḥ | śarair anekasāhasair bāhv-urugasi cārpayat ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that elephant from afar, Kṣemadhūrti—mounted upon the great beast—rushed forward, loudly challenging the high-souled Bhīmasena and charging straight at him. Then, without delay, the Kekaya great chariot-warrior struck Sātyaki with many thousands of arrows, planting them into his arms and broad chest. The passage underscores the relentless momentum of battle, where valor and aggression surge forward even as the moral weight of violence hangs over every act.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ethos of direct challenge and fearless engagement in battle, while implicitly reminding the listener that such prowess operates within the grave ethical atmosphere of war—where courage and aggression are inseparable from the consequences of harm.
Kṣemadhūrti, seated on an elephant, sees the opposing elephant from a distance and charges while challenging Bhīma. Immediately afterward, a Kekaya great warrior (noted in the accompanying Hindi as Vindana) showers Sātyaki with a massive volley of arrows, striking his arms and chest.