Shloka 553
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
शरवर्षेण महता समन्तात् पर्यवारयन् | राजन! पाए्डुपुत्र भीमने उन सबपर भयंकर बाणोंकी वृष्टि की। इसी प्रकार आपके सैनिकोंने भी बड़ी भारी बाण-वर्षा करके पाण्डव महारथियोंको सब ओरसे आच्छादित कर दिया
śaravarṣeṇa mahatā samantāt paryavārayan | rājan pāṇḍuputro bhīmas teṣāṃ sarveṣām upari bhayaṅkarabāṇavṛṣṭiṃ mumoca | tathā tava sainyair api mahāśaravarṣeṇa pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathānāṃ sarvata ācchādanam akriyata ||
Sañjaya said: “With a mighty rain of arrows they hemmed them in on every side. O King, Bhīma, the son of Pāṇḍu, poured down a dreadful shower of shafts upon them all. In the same way, your troops too, by unleashing a great storm of arrows, covered the Pāṇḍava great chariot-warriors from every direction.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the reciprocity and escalation inherent in war: force is met with force, and tactical advantage shifts rapidly. Ethically, it underscores the grim reality of kṣatriya conflict—valor and duty operate within a destructive cycle where both sides intensify violence to avoid being overrun.
Sañjaya reports that the combatants are hemming each other in with dense volleys of arrows. Bhīma unleashes a terrifying shower upon the opposing forces, and in response the Kaurava troops likewise blanket the Pāṇḍava great warriors with a massive arrow-storm from all directions.