Shloka 25
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
आददत् संदधरन्नेषून् दृष्ट: कैश्वचिद् रणेडर्जुन: । विमुज्चन् वा शरान् शीघ्र दृश्यन्ते वै नरा हता:
ādadat saṃdadharan eṣūn dṛṣṭaḥ kaiśvacid raṇe ’rjunaḥ | vimuñcan vā śarān śīghraṃ dṛśyante vai narā hatāḥ ||
ਉਸ ਰਣਭੂਮੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਿਸੇ ਨੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਵੇਖਿਆ ਕਿ ਅਰਜੁਨ ਕਦੋਂ ਬਾਣ ਚੁੱਕਦਾ ਹੈ, ਕਦੋਂ ਧਨੁਸ਼ ਨਾਲ ਜੋੜਦਾ ਹੈ ਜਾਂ ਕਦੋਂ ਛੱਡਦਾ ਹੈ; ਕੇਵਲ ਉਸ ਦੇ ਹੱਥੋਂ ਤੁਰੰਤ ਮਾਰੇ ਗਏ ਮਨੁੱਖ ਹੀ ਦਿਸਦੇ ਸਨ।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how consummate skill in one’s duty (here, a kṣatriya’s warfare) can render the action itself imperceptible, while its moral weight and consequences remain undeniable. It invites reflection on responsibility in action: mastery does not erase the gravity of harm done in war.
Sañjaya reports Arjuna’s extraordinary speed and precision in battle: observers cannot track the stages of his archery—taking, nocking, and releasing arrows—because they occur too fast; only the fallen warriors reveal the effect of his volleys.