Shloka 33
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
तत: शरसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च । ससूजे द्रौणिरायस्त: संस्तभ्य च रणे<र्जुनम्,तदनन्तर द्रोणकुमार अभश्वत्थामाने प्रयत्नपूर्वक अर्जुनको युद्धस्थलमें स्तम्भित करके उनके ऊपर हजारों, लाखों और अरबों बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
tataḥ śara-sahasrāṇi prayutāny arbudāni ca | sasūje drauṇir āyastaḥ saṃstabhya ca raṇe 'rjunam ||
Disse Sañjaya: Então Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā), após mirar, conteve Arjuna no meio da batalha e começou a derramar sobre ele uma chuva de flechas—por milhares, por dezenas de milhares, e até por crores—uma tempestade de projéteis destinada a imobilizar e dominar o adversário.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, mastery of force and tactics can be used to overwhelm an opponent; ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the destructive excess that battle can unleash when victory becomes the sole aim.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā (Drauṇi), son of Droṇa, takes aim, checks Arjuna’s movement on the battlefield, and unleashes a massive barrage of arrows—described in hyperbolic numbers to convey the intensity of the assault.