Shloka 9
आपके पुत्रोंकी उस विशाल सेनामें मनुष्य और अश्व तो थक गये थे, परंतु बड़े-बड़े हाथी उद्धत होकर आगे बढ़ रहे थे। उस सेनाने अर्जुनकी गति रोक दी ।। शक्त्यृष्टितोमरप्रासैर्गदानिस्त्रिंशसायकै: । प्राच्छादयन् महेष्वासा: कुरव: कुरुनन्दनम्,उन महाथधनुर्धर कौरवोंने कुरुकुलनन्दन अर्जुनको शक्ति, ऋष्टि, तोमर, प्रास, गदा, खड्ग और बाणोंके द्वारा ढक दिया
śaktyṛṣṭitomaraprāsair gadāniśtriṃśasāyakaiḥ | prācchādayan maheṣvāsāḥ kuravaḥ kurunandanam ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty bowmen of the Kurus showered Kuru-nandana Arjuna from every side, covering him over with a storm of weapons—javelins, spears, tomaras, lances, maces, swords, and arrows—seeking to check his advance amid the press of battle. The scene underscores how, in war, collective force and relentless assault are used to restrain a single heroic opponent, even as the moral weight of violence continues to accumulate on all sides.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the escalation and impersonality of battlefield violence: many warriors combine their strength to overwhelm a single foe. Ethically, it points to how war multiplies harm through collective action, even when framed as kṣatriya duty, and invites reflection on restraint and responsibility amid conflict.
Sañjaya describes Arjuna being targeted by Kuru warriors who unleash a dense barrage of varied weapons—javelins, spears, tomaras, lances, maces, swords, and arrows—so that he is ‘covered’ by missiles, an image of intense pressure meant to halt or contain his movement in the battle.