Shloka 24
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
तस्मिंस्तु विवरे राजन् नाराचान् गार्ध्रवासस:
tasmiṁstu vivare rājan nārācān gārdhravāsasaḥ
ರಾಜನೇ, ಆ ತೆರವಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಗಾರ್ಧ್ರವಾಸರು (ಗಿಡುಗದ ರೆಕ್ಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಧರಿಸಿದವರು) ನಾರಾಚ ಬಾಣಗಳನ್ನು ಹಾರಿಸಿದರು.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the tactical reality of war: when a breach appears, combatants exploit it immediately. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—kṣatriya duty and battlefield necessity often drive swift, forceful action, even as the broader epic questions the human cost of such choices.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that, at a specific gap in the battle array, fighters described as ‘gārdhravāsasaḥ’ shoot nārāca arrows into that opening, indicating a concentrated attack aimed at breaking or penetrating the opposing formation.