Shloka 5
Pāṇḍya-vadha-anantaram Arjunasya Pravṛttiḥ
Arjuna’s Response and the Renewed Battle
ततोडर्जुन: सर्वतोधारमस्त्र- मवासृजद् वासुदेवेडभिभूते । द्रौणायनिं चाभ्यहनत् पृषत्कै- वैज़ाग्निवैवस्वतदण्डकल्यै:
tato 'rjunaḥ sarvato-dhāram astram avāsṛjad vāsudeve 'bhibhūte | drauṇāyaniṁ cābhyahanat pṛṣatkaiḥ vajrāgni-vaivasvata-daṇḍa-kalyaiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Ketika Vāsudeva (Kṛṣṇa) telah terkena, Arjuna melepaskan senjata yang daya tebasannya merebak ke segala arah. Dengan anak panah yang tidak pernah meleset, membakar dan meragut nyawa—seperti vajra, seperti api, dan seperti tongkat Yama—dia melukai Drauṇāyani (Aśvatthāman), membalas kecederaan saisnya dengan tekad perang yang pantas dan menggerunkan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the warrior ethic of protecting one’s ally and responding decisively to aggression, while also showing how devotion and loyalty (Arjuna toward Kṛṣṇa as charioteer and guide) can intensify resolve in battle. It implicitly raises the ethical tension between righteous protection and the danger of wrath escalating violence.
After Kṛṣṇa (Vāsudeva) is struck, Arjuna retaliates by releasing a powerful, all-direction weapon and then strikes Drona’s son Aśvatthāmā with deadly, burning arrows likened to Indra’s thunderbolt, fire, and Yama’s punitive staff.