Shloka 31
नारायणास्त्र-शमनं द्रौणि-प्रहारश्च
Pacification of the Nārāyaṇāstra and Drauni’s Renewed Assault
प्राच्छादयच्छितैर्बाणैमहाराज शिखण्डिनम् । महाराज! तब रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठ कृपाचार्यने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर पैने बाणोंद्वारा शिखण्डीको ढक दिया ।। स च्छाद्यमान: समरे गौतमेन यशस्विना
prācchādayacchitaiḥ bāṇaiḥ mahārāja śikhaṇḍinam | mahārāja! tadā rathīnāṃ śreṣṭhaḥ kṛpācāryaḥ dvitīyaṃ dhanuḥ hastam ānīya tīkṣṇabāṇair śikhaṇḍinaṃ pracchādayām āsa || sa cchādyamānaḥ samare gautamena yaśasvinā
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai Maharaja, Kṛpācārya—yang terunggul antara para pahlawan kereta perang—mengambil sebuah busur yang lain lalu menghujani Śikhaṇḍin dengan anak panah tajam begitu rapat seolah-olah dia diselubungi. Maka, di tengah pertempuran, Śikhaṇḍin ditekan hebat oleh Gautama (Kṛpa) yang termasyhur. Adegan ini menonjolkan disiplin perang kṣatriya yang tidak mengenal belas: kemahiran dan tekad dipaksa ke batasnya, sementara ketegangan moral perang besar itu terus terungkap.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising rigor of battlefield duty (kṣatriya-dharma): warriors respond to threat with disciplined skill and persistence. Ethically, it reflects how personal and strategic enmities are enacted through formal martial codes, even amid the war’s broader moral complexity.
Kṛpācārya, famed as Gautama, takes up another bow and unleashes a dense volley of sharp arrows at Śikhaṇḍin, effectively ‘covering’ him with missiles. Śikhaṇḍin is shown being pressed hard in the fight as Sañjaya reports the action to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.