Shloka 12
भीमसेनस्य बहुमहारथसंयुगः
Bhīmasena’s Engagement with Multiple Mahārathas
सुवर्णपुड्खैरिषुभिय्धपक्षै: सुतेजनै:
sañjaya uvāca — suvarṇapuṅkhair iṣubhir gṛdhrapakṣaiḥ sutejanaiḥ; karṇī-nālīka-nārācaiś ca pāṇḍavānāṃ senām ācchādayām āsa. tīkṣṇaiḥ śaraiḥ dhvajān ciccheda rathinaś ca nipapāta.
サンジャヤは言った。金の矢柄に鷲鷹（禿鷲）の羽を矢羽とした鋭い矢、さらにカルニー、ナーリーカ、ナーラーチャといった武器をもって、彼はパーンダヴァ軍を覆い尽くした。鋭利な矢で旗印を断ち落とし、戦車の勇士さえ地に伏せた—それは、勝利を求めて名誉の象徴とそれを支える戦士とを同時に砕く、戦の冷酷な能率を示す光景である。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield reality that skill and force can shatter both the outward emblems of honor (standards) and the warriors themselves. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s tension: kṣatriya-duty demands combat, yet the narrative repeatedly reminds the listener of war’s harsh, dehumanizing momentum.
Sanjaya describes a fierce missile-assault in which the Pāṇḍava forces are ‘covered’ by volleys of sharp, well-made arrows and specialized missiles (karṇī, nālīka, nārāca). The attack severs banners and strikes down chariot-fighters, signaling a decisive, demoralizing pressure on the Pāṇḍava side at that moment.