Shloka 456
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
अवाकिरच्छरैस्तीक्ष्ण रुक्मपुड्खै: शिलाशितै: । भारत! आपकी सेनाको भागती देख सात्यकिने सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले तीखे बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
sañjaya uvāca |
avākirac charais tīkṣṇai rukmapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ |
サンジャヤは言った。汝の軍が潰走するのを見て、サーティヤキは猛き矢の雨を降らせ始めた――石で研ぎ澄まされた鋭い矢、黄金の羽を備えた矢である。彼はその奔走を食い止め、戦いを前へと押し進めた。この光景は、戦において将の決意と技が崩れかけた隊列を立て直し得ることを示す一方、その手段の苛烈さがなお露わであることも物語っている。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield leadership: when troops falter, a steadfast warrior acts decisively to restore momentum. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between necessary martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the harsh reality of violence used to enforce order in war.
Sanjaya reports that Sātyaki, noticing the opposing army fleeing, unleashes a rapid volley of sharp, stone-whetted arrows with golden fletchings—an aggressive countermeasure meant to check the retreat and dominate the field.