Shloka 456
अर्जुनस्य गुरुधर्मविलापः तथा शैनेयकर्णयोर्युद्धारम्भः | Arjuna’s Lament on Guru-Dharma and the Opening of the Sātyaki–Karṇa Duel
अवाकिरच्छरैस्तीक्ष्ण रुक्मपुड्खै: शिलाशितै: । भारत! आपकी सेनाको भागती देख सात्यकिने सानपर चढ़ाकर तेज किये हुए सुवर्णमय पंखवाले तीखे बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
sañjaya uvāca |
avākirac charais tīkṣṇai rukmapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ |
अवाकिरच्छरैस्तीक्ष्णै रुक्मपुङ्खैः शिलाशितैः। भारत! तव सेनां पलायमानां दृष्ट्वा सात्यकिः शाणोपपन्नैः सुवर्णपक्षैस्तीक्ष्णैर्बाणैः प्रचण्डां वर्षामारभत॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield leadership: when troops falter, a steadfast warrior acts decisively to restore momentum. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between necessary martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the harsh reality of violence used to enforce order in war.
Sanjaya reports that Sātyaki, noticing the opposing army fleeing, unleashes a rapid volley of sharp, stone-whetted arrows with golden fletchings—an aggressive countermeasure meant to check the retreat and dominate the field.