Shloka 216
भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च
Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka
द्रौ्णिं विव्याध सप्तत्या बाह्दोरुरसि चार्पयत् । राजन! तब धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिरने दूसरा विशाल धनुष हाथमें लेकर अश्व॒त्थामाको बींध दिया एवं उसकी दोनों भुजाओं और छातीमें सत्तर बाण मारे
drauṇiṃ vivyādha saptatyā bāhvor urasi cārpayat | rājan! tataḥ dharmaputraḥ yudhiṣṭhiraḥ dvitīyaṃ viśālaṃ dhanuḥ hastam ānīya aśvatthāmānaṃ vidhya ca tasya bāhvau ca urasi ca saptatiṃ bāṇān arpayām āsa |
Sañjaya said: O King, then Dharmaputra Yudhiṣṭhira took up another great bow and struck Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā, planting seventy arrows into his two arms and his chest. The scene underscores how even the dharma-minded Yudhiṣṭhira, compelled by the demands of battle and protection of his side, engages in forceful, measured violence within the warrior code.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in practice: even a ruler devoted to righteousness may be required to use disciplined force to protect allies and uphold order in war, while remaining within the accepted rules of combat.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Yudhiṣṭhira takes up another powerful bow and wounds Aśvatthāmā, embedding seventy arrows in his arms and chest—an intense exchange in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.