Shloka 32
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
क्षेमधूर्तिस्तदा भीमं तोमरेण स्तनान्तरे । निर्बिभेदातिवेगेन षड्भिकश्षाप्यपरैर्नदन्
kṣemadhūrtis tadā bhīmaṃ tomareṇa stanāntare | nirbibhedātivegena ṣaḍbhis tomaraiś cāpy aparair nadan | anyonyasya vadhe caiva cakratur yatnam uttamam | kaikeyasya dvidhā carma tataś ciccheda sātvataḥ ||
サンジャヤは言った。そのときクシェーマドゥールティは凄まじい勢いでトーマラ投槍をビーマの胸に突き立てた。咆哮しつつ、さらに六本のトーマラで追い打ちをかけた。両雄は互いの死を求め、力の限りを尽くした。やがてサートヴァタの勇者は、カイケーヤの鎧を真二つに断ち割った。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya battlefield ethic of unwavering effort and courage under injury, while also underscoring the grim moral weight of war: even valor becomes entangled with the intent to kill, and victory is pursued through relentless, often brutal, exertion.
Kṣemadhūrti strikes Bhīma powerfully with a tomara and follows with six more, roaring in battle. Both combatants intensify their efforts to slay each other, and the Sātvata hero then cuts the Kaikeya warrior’s protective armor into two.