Shloka 19
वज्रदत्तेन सह अर्जुनयुद्धम्
Arjuna’s engagement with Vajradatta during the Aśvamedha circuit
तस्मै बाणांस्ततो जिष्णुर्निर्मुक्ताशीविषोपमान् | प्रेषयामास संक़्रुद्धो ज्वलितज्वलनोपमान्
tasmai bāṇāṁs tato jiṣṇur nirmuktāśīviṣopamān | preṣayāmāsa saṅkruddho jvalitajvalanopamān ||
Maka Jiṣṇu (Arjuna), menyala oleh amarah, melepaskan ke arahnya hujan anak panah—seperti ular berbisa yang baru dilepaskan, seperti api yang sedang marak—untuk mengekang keganasan lawan dengan kekuatan yang mengatasi segalanya.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya impulse to meet aggression with decisive force, while implicitly warning that anger (saṅkruddha) intensifies violence; ethical strength lies in directing power toward protection and restraint rather than mere wrath.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna, angered in the confrontation, releases a rapid barrage of arrows at his opponent, described through vivid similes—like freed venomous snakes and like blazing fire—to convey their lethal speed and intensity.