Shloka 226
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
यतमानं परं शक्त्या यतमानो महारथ: । ऐसा कहकर शीघ्रता करनेवाले प्रयत्नशील महारथी अभ्व॒त्थामाने अत्यन्त तेज, घोर एवं पैने बाणोंद्वारा यथाशक्ति विजयके लिये प्रयत्न करनेवाले वीर धृष्टद्युम्नको ढक दिया
yatamānaṃ paraṃ śaktyā yatamāno mahārathaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Striving with all his might, the great chariot-warrior—himself exerting to the utmost—covered the valiant Dhṛṣṭadyumna, who was also laboring for victory to the best of his power, with exceedingly fierce, sharp arrows. The passage underscores how, in the heat of war, matched resolve meets matched resolve, and victory is pursued through relentless effort rather than restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of total exertion in a warrior’s duty: each side pursues victory according to capacity, and the battlefield rewards sustained effort and skill rather than hesitation.
Aśvatthāman, acting as a great chariot-warrior, showers Dhṛṣṭadyumna with fierce, sharp arrows, effectively covering or overwhelming him as both strive intensely for victory.