Shloka 60
Śalya-hatānantarāṇi: Madrarāja-padānugānāṃ praskandana and the Pandava counter-encirclement (शल्यहतानन्तराणि—मद्रराजपदानुगानां प्रस्कन्दनम्)
तदनन्तर युधिष्छिरने इन्द्रधनुषके समान कान्तिमान् दूसरा धनुष लेकर सर्पोका संहार करनेवाले गरुड़की भाँति युद्धस्थलमें तीखे भल्लोंद्वारा शत्रुओंके शरीरोंका नाश करते हुए क्षणभरमें उन सबका विध्वंस कर दिया ।।
tad-anantaraṁ yudhiṣṭhireṇa indra-dhanuṣka-samāna-kāntimān dvitīyaṁ dhanuḥ gṛhītvā sarpa-saṁhāra-kṛd garuḍa iva raṇa-bhūmau tīkṣṇair bhallaiḥ śatrūṇāṁ śarīrāṇāṁ nāśaṁ kurvan kṣaṇa-mātreṇa tān sarvān vidhvaṁsayām āsa || tataḥ pārthasya bāṇaughair āvṛtāḥ sainikās tava | nimīlitākṣāḥ kṣiṇvantaḥ bhṛśam anyonyam arditāḥ ||
Disse Sañjaya: Depois disso, Yudhiṣṭhira, tomando outro arco radiante como um arco-íris, moveu-se no campo de batalha como Garuḍa, destruidor de serpentes. Com flechas agudas de ponta larga, abateu os corpos de seus inimigos e, num instante, lançou todos à ruína. Então teus soldados, cobertos por torrentes de flechas de Pārtha (Arjuna), com os olhos semicerrados, gravemente aflitos e enfraquecidos, empurravam-se e esmagavam-se uns aos outros em pânico.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the harsh dharma of kṣatriya warfare: when battle is joined, decisive action and steadfastness are demanded, while panic and disorder (soldiers crushing one another) become a moral and practical collapse. It also highlights how poetic imagery (Garuḍa vs. serpents) frames righteous force as swift and overwhelming.
Sañjaya describes Yudhiṣṭhira taking up a radiant bow and rapidly destroying enemies with sharp arrows. Immediately after, Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s troops are depicted as engulfed by Arjuna’s arrow-storm, weakened and disoriented, crowding and crushing each other amid the chaos.