Shloka 18
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
कलापिनश्चापहस्ता दीर्घकेशा: प्रियंवदा: । पत्तय: सादिनक्षान्ये घोररूपपराक्रमा:
sañjaya uvāca |
kalāpinaścāpahastā dīrghakeśāḥ priyaṃvadāḥ |
pattayaḥ sādinakṣānye ghorarūpaparākramāḥ ||
tābhyāṃ muktā mahābāṇāḥ kaṅkabārhiṇavāsasaḥ |
dyotayanto diśaḥ sarvāḥ sampetuḥ svarṇabhūṣaṇāḥ ||
サञ्जयは言った。「王よ、あの戦士たちは—等しく死を受け入れると誓い—互いを見捨てなかった。頭には孔雀の羽を戴き、手には輝く弓を執り、長き髪をなびかせ、耳に心地よい言葉を発しつつ進み出た。ほかの歩兵や騎兵もまた、姿は恐ろしく、武威は猛々しかった。かの二人より放たれた大矢は、黄金に飾られ、禿鷲の羽と孔雀の羽で矢羽を整えられ、飛ぶさまは炎のごとく、四方を照らすかに見えて、やがて落ちた。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in the kṣatriya world of the Mahābhārata, comradeship and resolve can become a collective vow unto death. It also hints at an ethical tension: outward refinement (pleasant speech, ornamentation) can coexist with—and even serve—the grim machinery of violence, reminding the reader to judge by intent and action rather than appearance.
Sañjaya describes a group of warriors who do not abandon each other, marked by peacock-feathers and bows. He then depicts two principal fighters releasing mighty, gold-adorned arrows with distinctive feathering, which streak through the sky as if lighting up the quarters before falling.