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 ||
Санджая сказал: «Могучим дождём стрел они стеснили их со всех сторон. О царь, Бхима, сын Панду, обрушил на всех них страшный ливень стрел. Так же и твои воины, подняв великое буревестье стрел, покрыли великих колесничих Пандавов со всех направлений.»
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.