Shloka 24
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
तथेत्युक्त्वार्जुन: कृष्णं शिष्टान् संशप्तकांस्तदा । आशक्षिप्य शस्त्रेण बलाद् दैत्यानिन्द्र इवावधीत्,तब श्रीकृष्णसे “बहुत अच्छा" कहकर अर्जुन दैत्योंका वध करनेवाले इन्द्रके समान उस समय शेष संशप्तक-सेनाको अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंसे छिन्न-भिन्न करके उसका बलपूर्वक विनाश करने लगे
tathety uktvārjunaḥ kṛṣṇaṃ śiṣṭān saṃśaptakāṃs tadā | āśakṣipya śastreṇa balād daityān indra ivāvadhīt ||
Sañjaya said: “So be it,” Arjuna replied to Kṛṣṇa. Then, turning upon the remaining Saṃśaptakas, he forcefully struck them down with his weapons, destroying them like Indra slaying the Daityas. The scene underscores Arjuna’s resolute obedience to Kṛṣṇa’s guidance and his unwavering commitment to his warrior-duty amid the moral gravity of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast performance of one’s appointed duty (kṣatriya-dharma) with disciplined resolve, especially when guided by righteous counsel. Arjuna’s prompt assent to Kṛṣṇa and decisive action illustrate commitment to responsibility in a morally weighty context, without hesitation once the course is understood.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna agrees to Kṛṣṇa and then attacks the remaining Saṃśaptaka warriors, cutting them down with weapons. The poet intensifies the scene by comparing Arjuna’s slaughter to Indra’s mythic destruction of the Daityas.