Shloka 24
अध्याय २६ — शल्यस्य सारथ्य-नियोजनं, कर्णस्य प्रस्थानं, उत्पातदर्शनं च
Chapter 26: Śalya appointed as charioteer; Karṇa’s departure; portents
ततः शरशतैर्भूय: संशप्तकगणान् बली । पातयामास संक्रुद्धो शतशो5थ सहस्रश:,तदनन्तर अत्यन्त क्रोधमें भरे हुए बलवान अर्जुनने पुनः हजारों और सैकड़ों संशप्तकगणोंको सैकड़ों बाणोंसे मारकर धरतीपर सुला दिया
tataḥ śaraśatair bhūyaḥ saṁśaptakagaṇān balī | pātayāmāsa saṅkruddhaḥ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ ||
Sanjaya said: Then, once again, the mighty Arjuna—burning with anger—felled the bands of the Saṁśaptakas with hundreds of arrows, casting them down in their hundreds and even by the thousands. The episode underscores the grim momentum of vowed warfare: fierce resolve and martial skill drive the slaughter forward, even as the moral weight of mass killing hangs over the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vows and battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma) can intensify conflict: anger and resolve amplify destructive capability. Ethically, it invites reflection on the cost of righteous war—skill and duty may be praised, yet mass killing remains a grave burden.
Sanjaya reports that Arjuna, in great fury, again attacks the Saṁśaptaka warriors and strikes them down in vast numbers with volleys of arrows, causing them to fall on the battlefield.