Shloka 143
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
व्यहनत् तावकं सैन्यं शतशो5थ सहसख्रश: । पश्यतस्तस्य वीरस्य तव पुत्रस्य भारत,भारत! इसी समय शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले अर्जुनने आपकी सेनाके सैकड़ों और हजारों योद्धाओंको आपके वीर पुत्रके देखते-देखते मार डाला
vyahanat tāvakaṃ sainyaṃ śataśo ’tha sahasraśaḥ | paśyatas tasya vīrasya tava putrasya bhārata ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di hadapan mata putera tuan yang gagah, wahai Bhārata, Arjuna—pembakar musuh—membantai bala tentera tuan beratus-ratus, lalu beribu-ribu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of war: once conflict is embraced, even great valor cannot prevent large-scale destruction. It also frames victory and loss as unfolding before witnesses who must bear the moral and emotional burden of what their choices have set in motion.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna is cutting down the Kaurava forces in vast numbers—hundreds and thousands—right before the eyes of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s heroic son (implicitly Duryodhana), emphasizing Arjuna’s battlefield dominance at that moment.