Shloka 53
Irāvān-nidhana-anantaraṃ Ghaṭotkaca-nādaḥ
After Irāvān’s fall: Ghaṭotkaca’s roar and the clash with Duryodhana
अभिगम्यार्जुनं वीर राजभिरबहुभिव॒त: । पुरस्तात् पृष्ठतश्चैव पार्श्वतश्चैव सर्वतः
abhigamyārjunaṃ vīra rājabhir bahubhir vṛtaḥ | purastāt pṛṣṭhataś caiva pārśvataś caiva sarvataḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dikelilingi ramai raja, pahlawan perkasa itu mara untuk berhadapan dengan Arjuna yang gagah di medan perang. Dengan membawa putera-putera tuanku bersamanya, dia mengepung Arjuna dari hadapan, belakang, dan kedua-dua sisi—dari segala arah—lalu menyelubunginya dengan hujan anak panah yang lebat, seperti awan menutupi matahari.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic and tension of kṣatriya-dharma: coordinated, collective tactics (encirclement by many rulers) are deployed to subdue a single great warrior, testing ideals of fair combat, valor, and resilience under overwhelming pressure.
Sañjaya reports that a leading warrior, surrounded by many kings and accompanied by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons, advances against Arjuna and surrounds him from all sides—front, rear, and flanks—then inundates him with arrows, likened to clouds covering the sun.