Shloka 15
महारथा: पठ्च धनंजयाच्युतौ शरै: शरीरार्तिकरैरताडयन् । महाराज! तदनन्तर दुर्योधन, कृतवर्मा, शकुनि, शरद्वानके पुत्र कृपाचार्य और कर्ण--ये पाँच महारथी शरीरको पीड़ा देनेवाले बाणोंद्वारा श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनको घायल करने लगे ।। धनूंषि तेषामिषुधीन् ध्वजान् हयान् रथांश्व सूतांक्ष धनंजय: शरै:
sañjaya uvāca |
mahārathāḥ pañca dhanañjayācyutau śaraiḥ śarīrārtikarair atāḍayan |
mahārāja! tad-anantaraṁ duryodhanaḥ kṛtavarmā śakuniḥ śarad-vānaka-putraḥ kṛpācāryaḥ karṇaś ca—ete pañca mahārathāḥ śarīraṁ pīḍā-dena bāṇair śrīkṛṣṇaṁ cārjunaṁ ca viddhvā pīḍayām āsuḥ ||
dhanūṁṣi teṣām iṣudhīn dhvajān hayān rathāṁś ca sūtāṁś ca dhanañjayaḥ śaraiḥ |
Sañjaya said: O King, thereafter five great chariot-warriors assailed Dhanañjaya (Arjuna) and Acyuta (Kṛṣṇa) with arrows that inflicted bodily torment. Duryodhana, Kṛtavarmā, Śakuni, Kṛpa—son of Śaradvat—and Karṇa: these five mahārathas began to wound Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna with pain-giving shafts. In response, Dhanañjaya, with his own arrows, struck at their bows, quivers, standards, horses, chariots, and even their charioteers—turning the attack back by disabling the instruments of war rather than merely trading wounds.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid unavoidable warfare, excellence is shown not only by inflicting harm but by strategic restraint—neutralizing the enemy’s capacity to fight (bows, chariots, horses, charioteers) rather than pursuing sheer bloodshed. The verse highlights disciplined skill aligned with kṣatriya-duty and controlled force.
Five Kaurava-aligned mahārathas—Duryodhana, Kṛtavarmā, Śakuni, Kṛpa, and Karṇa—jointly shower painful arrows on Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. Arjuna answers by shooting to disable their war-gear and support system (weapons, vehicles, and drivers), shifting the battle’s momentum through tactical targeting.