Shloka 553
शकुनिवधः — Sahadeva’s Slaying of Śakuni
with Ulūka’s fall
शरवर्षेण महता समन्तात् पर्यवारयन् | राजन! पाए्डुपुत्र भीमने उन सबपर भयंकर बाणोंकी वृष्टि की। इसी प्रकार आपके सैनिकोंने भी बड़ी भारी बाण-वर्षा करके पाण्डव महारथियोंको सब ओरसे आच्छादित कर दिया
śaravarṣeṇa mahatā samantāt paryavārayan | rājan pāṇḍuputro bhīmas teṣāṃ sarveṣām upari bhayaṅkarabāṇavṛṣṭiṃ mumoca | tathā tava sainyair api mahāśaravarṣeṇa pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathānāṃ sarvata ācchādanam akriyata ||
Sañjaya disse: “Com uma grande chuva de flechas, eles os cercaram por todos os lados. Ó rei, Bhīma, filho de Pāṇḍu, derramou sobre todos eles uma terrível saraivada de dardos. Do mesmo modo, as tuas tropas, ao soltar uma vasta tempestade de flechas, cobriram os grandes guerreiros de carro dos Pāṇḍava de todas as direções.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the reciprocity and escalation inherent in war: force is met with force, and tactical advantage shifts rapidly. Ethically, it underscores the grim reality of kṣatriya conflict—valor and duty operate within a destructive cycle where both sides intensify violence to avoid being overrun.
Sañjaya reports that the combatants are hemming each other in with dense volleys of arrows. Bhīma unleashes a terrifying shower upon the opposing forces, and in response the Kaurava troops likewise blanket the Pāṇḍava great warriors with a massive arrow-storm from all directions.