Shloka 32
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
कोष्ठीकृत्य च त॑ वीर धार्तराष्ट्रा महारथा: । एकं॑ सुबहवो युद्धे ततक्षु: सायकैर्दूढम्,फिर आपके महारथी पुत्रोंने वीर अभिमन्युको सब ओरसे घेर लिया और युद्धस्थलमें उस अकेलेको बहुत-से योद्धाओंने सायकोंद्वारा जोर-जोरसे घायल करना आरम्भ किया
koṣṭhīkṛtya ca taṁ vīra dhārtarāṣṭrā mahārathāḥ | ekaṁ subahavo yuddhe tatakṣuḥ sāyakair dṛḍham ||
Disse Sañjaya: Tendo formado um cerco cerrado em torno daquele herói, os grandes guerreiros de carro da linhagem de Dhṛtarāṣṭra investiram contra o solitário no meio da batalha; muitos contra um, atingiram-no duramente com saraivadas de flechas—imagem sombria do desequilíbrio da guerra, em que a proeza não é enfrentada por combate igual, mas por força esmagadora.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring ethical tension in the Mahābhārata: battlefield conduct (dharma-yuddha ideals) versus expedient victory. The image of many elite warriors overwhelming a single fighter underscores how power can abandon fairness, inviting reflection on courage, restraint, and the moral cost of collective aggression.
Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava great chariot-warriors have surrounded a lone heroic warrior in a tight formation and are attacking him intensely with volleys of arrows—many fighters concentrating force on one target.