Shloka 8
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
गदाभिरन्ये गुर्वीभि: परिघैर्मुसलैरपि । पोथिता: शतशः पेतुर्वीरा वीरतरै रणे
gadābhir anye gurvībhiḥ parighair musalair api | pothitāḥ śataśaḥ petur vīrā vīratarai raṇe ||
duryodhanas tu rājānaṃ dharmaputraṃ yudhiṣṭhiram | saṃśaptakagaṇān kruddho hy abhyadhāvad dhanaṃjayaḥ ||
サンジャヤは語った。「ほかの多くの勇士たちは、重きガダー（棍棒）や鉄の棍、ムサラ（杵）に打ち伏せられ、戦場に百人単位で倒れた――己よりさらに猛き戦士に踏み砕かれて。かたやドゥルヨーダナは、ダルマの子たる王ユディシュティラへ攻め迫り、怒りに燃えるアルジュナ（ダナンジャヤ）は、サンシャプタカの軍勢へ真っすぐ突撃した。」
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how martial excellence, when driven by rivalry and anger, intensifies destruction; it also contrasts Yudhiṣṭhira’s dharma-marked identity (dharmaputra) with the battlefield reality where even the righteous are targeted, reminding readers that ethical responsibility in leadership matters most when violence escalates.
Sañjaya describes mass casualties as warriors are crushed by heavy close-combat weapons. In the same moment, Duryodhana advances against King Yudhiṣṭhira, while Arjuna, enraged, rushes to engage the vowed Saṃśaptaka formation.