Shloka 18
Arjuna–Bhīṣma Strategic Engagement and Mutual Arrow-Interdiction (भीष्मार्जुनसमागमः)
अथ ते द्रौपदीपुत्रा: सौभद्रश्न महारथ: । नकुल: सहदेवश्व धृष्टद्युम्नश्व॒ पार्षत:
atha te draupadīputrāḥ saubhadraś ca mahārathaḥ | nakulaḥ sahadevaś ca dhṛṣṭadyumnaś ca pārṣataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian putera-putera Draupadī, dan Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) sang maharatha, bersama Nakula, Sahadeva serta Dhṛṣṭadyumna putera Pārṣata (Drupada), semuanya meluru ke hadapan. Laksana halilintar yang dahsyat, mereka menekan putera-putera Dhṛtarāṣṭra, menyeksa mereka dengan anak panah yang tajam dan pantas, mara ke atas mereka seperti puncak gunung yang seakan-akan menghempap turun.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s battlefield ethic: warriors act with disciplined force in accordance with kṣatriya-duty, yet the imagery of crushing advance also hints at the heavy moral weight and suffering inherent in war.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāṇḍava-aligned heroes—Draupadī’s sons, Abhimanyu, Nakula, Sahadeva, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna—charge the Kaurava forces, striking them with sharp arrows and pressing forward with overwhelming momentum.