Shloka 41
(सात्वतस्य च भल््लेन निष्पिष्टैस्तैस्तथाद्रिभि: । न्यपतन् निहता म्लेच्छास्तत्र तत्र गतासव: ।।
saṃjaya uvāca |
sātvatasyaca bhallena niṣpiṣṭaistaiḥ tathādribhiḥ |
nyapatan nihatā mlecchāstatra tatra gatāsavaḥ ||
te hanyamānāḥ samare sātvatena mahātmanā |
abhrāśmavṛṣṭiṃ mahāghorāṃ pātayanti sma sātvatam ||
pāṣāṇayodhinaḥ śūrān yatamānānavasthitān |
nyavadhīd bahusāhasrāṃstadadbhutamivābhavat ||
Sañjaya disse: Atingidos pelas flechas agudas do Sātvata e esmagados pelas próprias rochas que esses dardos estilhaçaram, os guerreiros mleccha tombaram mortos, espalhados aqui e ali. E, no entanto, enquanto o magnânimo Sātvata (Sātyaki) os abatia no campo de batalha, eles faziam cair sobre ele uma terrível chuva de pedras, como um aguaceiro de rocha. Aqueles heróis que lutavam com pedras—firmes e empenhados na vitória, aos milhares—foram todos mortos por Sātyaki; parecia quase um prodígio.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights steadfastness and martial resolve amid extreme danger: even when attacked by a terrifying barrage, the warrior remains firm in duty. It also underscores the epic’s moral tension—extraordinary prowess in war is narrated with wonder, while the human cost (bodies strewn across the field) is kept plainly in view.
Sañjaya describes Sātyaki (called the Sātvata) striking down Mleccha troops. His arrows shatter rocks into fragments that crush them; as they are being slain, they retaliate by hurling a dreadful rain of stones. Despite their great numbers, Sātyaki kills them all, an event portrayed as astonishing.