Shloka 27
भीमसेनस्य वेगाभिपातः—विशोकसारथिसंवादश्च
Bhīma’s surge and dialogue with charioteer Viśoka
अभ्यवर्षन्त वेगेन विसृजन्त: शितान् शरान् । युधिष्ठिर आदि पाण्डव महारथी शस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ अश्वत्थामापर बड़े वेगसे पैने बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे ।। आगच्छमानांस्तान् दृष्टवा क्रुद्धरूपान् परंतप:
sañjaya uvāca | abhyavarṣanta vegena visṛjantaḥ śitān śarān | yudhiṣṭhirādi pāṇḍavā mahārathī śastradhāriṣu śreṣṭha aśvatthāmā paraṃ baḍe vegase painē bāṇoṅkī varṣā karane lage || āgacchamānāṃs tān dṛṣṭvā kruddharūpān paraṃtapaḥ |
Sañjaya berkata: Dengan kelajuan besar mereka menurunkan hujan anak panah yang tajam. Lalu Aśvatthāmā, putera Droṇa—terunggul antara para pemegang senjata dan seorang maharathi—mulai mencurahkan ribut anak panah yang ganas ke atas para Pāṇḍava yang dipimpin Yudhiṣṭhira. Melihat mereka mara dalam rupa murka, si pembakar musuh pun bersiap menyambut dengan daya yang kian dipertingkat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, anger and momentum can rapidly intensify violence; it implicitly contrasts the warrior’s duty to fight with the ethical danger of wrath (krodha) overtaking discernment, a recurring Mahābhārata concern about restraint even amid kṣatriya obligations.
Aśvatthāmā, described as a foremost weapon-bearer and great chariot-warrior, unleashes a swift shower of sharp arrows at the Pāṇḍavas led by Yudhiṣṭhira; seeing them advance in anger, he responds with heightened martial force.