Shloka 53
इन्द्रजिद्-लक्ष्मणयुद्धम्
Indrajit and Lakṣmaṇa: Escalation through Concealment
इदमत्यद्भुतं चात्र चकार पुरुषो<र्जुन: । क्रोशमात्रगतानश्चान् सैन्धवस्य जघान यत्,यहाँ वीर पुरुष अर्जुनने एक अद्भुत पराक्रम दिखाया। यद्यपि जयद्रथके घोड़े एक कोस आगे निकल गये थे, तो भी उन्होंने दिव्यास्त्रोंसे अभिमन्त्रित बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें दूरसे ही मार डाला। अर्जुन दिव्यास्त्रसे सम्पन्न थे। संकटकालमें भी घबराते नहीं थे। इसीलिये उन्होंने वह दुष्कर कर्म कर दिखाया
idam atyadbhutaṃ cātra cakāra puruṣo 'rjunaḥ | krośa-mātra-gatān aśvān saindhavasya jaghāna yat ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Here Arjuna, that heroic man, performed a deed most wondrous. Though Jayadratha’s horses had already gone a full krośa ahead, Arjuna struck them down from afar with arrows empowered by divine weapons—showing steadiness in crisis and the disciplined mastery that makes even a difficult act achievable.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadiness and trained competence: extraordinary results arise when courage is joined to disciplined mastery (here, divine-weapon expertise) and composure in danger—qualities expected of a kṣatriya acting under pressure.
Vaiśampāyana reports Arjuna’s remarkable feat: even though Jayadratha’s horses had advanced about a krośa, Arjuna, using empowered arrows associated with divine weapons, kills them from a distance, demonstrating superior martial skill and calm resolve.