Shloka 3
भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च
Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka
ततः खं पूरयामास शरैं्दिव्यास्त्रमन्त्रितै: | युधिष्ठिरं च समरे परिवार्य महास्त्रवित्,वह बड़े-बड़े अस्त्रोंका ज्ञाता था; इसलिये शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेवाले योद्धाके समान सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखोंसे युक्त भयंकर शरसमूहोंकी वर्षा करता और नाना प्रकारके मार्ग एवं शिक्षाका प्रदर्शन करता हुआ दिव्यास्त्रोंसे अभिमन्त्रित बाणोंद्वारा समरांगणमें युधिष्ठिको अवरुद्ध करके आकाशको उन बाणोंसे भरने लगा
sañjaya uvāca | tataḥ khaṁ pūrayāmāsa śaraiḥ divyāstramantritaiḥ | yudhiṣṭhiraṁ ca samare parivārya mahāstravit |
Sanjaya said: Then he filled the sky with arrows empowered by the mantras of divine weapons. Encircling Yudhiṣṭhira in the thick of battle, that master of great missiles sought to hem him in, turning the fight into a display of trained skill and overwhelming force—an episode that underscores how, in war, prowess and stratagem can momentarily eclipse restraint, even when the target is a king famed for dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield excellence—especially the use of divinely empowered weapons—can create an overwhelming imbalance, testing the ethical ideal of restraint. It implicitly contrasts Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharmic identity with the harsh realities of war where power and technique often dominate the moment.
Sañjaya describes a warrior skilled in great astras surrounding Yudhiṣṭhira and filling the sky with mantra-charged arrows, effectively blocking and pressuring him in combat.