Shloka 11
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
गजों और गजारोहियोंने रथियों
kaikeyau sātyakiṃ yuddhe śaravarṣeṇa bhāsvatā | sātyakiḥ kekayau cāpi cchādayāmāsa bhārata ||
Sañjaya berkata: Dalam pertempuran itu, gajah dan penunggang gajah menumbangkan pahlawan kereta, pasukan berkuda dan infantri; infantri menjatuhkan pahlawan kereta, pasukan berkuda dan penunggang gajah; pasukan berkuda membunuh pahlawan kereta, infantri dan penunggang gajah; dan pahlawan kereta juga menewaskan infantri serta penunggang gajah. Ketika itu, pahlawan Kaikeya menutupi Sātyaki dengan hujan anak panah yang menyala; dan Sātyaki, wahai Bhārata, membalas dengan menutupi pahlawan Kekaya pula.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the momentum of warfare: once combat is joined, even celebrated heroes respond to attack with counter-attack. It implicitly contrasts kṣatriya valor with the ethical cost of escalation—prowess becomes a cycle of retaliation rather than a space for restraint.
Sañjaya reports a duel-like exchange: a Kaikeya/Kekaya warrior showers Sātyaki with brilliant arrows, and Sātyaki immediately answers by covering his opponent with missiles as well, intensifying the battlefield clash.