Shloka 293
Chapter 136: Pandava Counter-Encirclement and the Vāyavya-Astra Disruption
प्राविशन् मेदिनीं भीमा: क्रीज्च॑ पत्ररथा इव । वे पंखधारी भयानक बाण भीमसेनकी बायीं भुजा छेदकर पृथ्वीमें समा गये, मानो पक्षी क्रौंच पर्वतको जा रहे हों
prāviśan medinīṃ bhīmāḥ krīñca-patrarathā iva | te pakṣa-dhārī bhayānakā bāṇā bhīmasenakī bāhūṃ chittvā pṛthivīṃ samāgatāḥ, māno pakṣiṇaḥ krauñca-parvataṃ yānti ||
सञ्जय उवाच—ते घोराः पक्षिणः इव पङ्कधारिणो नाराचाः भीमसेनस्य वामभुजं छित्त्वा मेदिनीं प्राविशन्, क्रौञ्चपर्वतं प्रति पतगा इव वेगेनाभ्यपतन्।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the stark reality of war: strength and valor do not make one invulnerable. It implicitly cautions against the dehumanizing momentum of violence—where weapons continue their course beyond the immediate act—inviting reflection on restraint and the ethical cost of battle.
Sañjaya describes a moment in the battle where fearsome, feathered arrows strike Bhīmasena, sever his arm, and then sink into the earth. The motion of the arrows is compared to birds flying toward the Krauñca mountain, emphasizing speed, inevitability, and grim force.