Shloka 1196
Adhyāya 141 — Night duels: Śaineya and Bhūriśravas; Droṇi and Ghaṭotkaca; Bhīma and Duryodhana
शिलीमुखैर्महाराज मा गास्तिषछ्ठेति चाब्रवीत् । महाराज! तब क्रोधमें भरे हुए अर्जुनने अश्वत्थामाको चौंसठ बाण मारे और कहा --'खड़े रहो, भागना मत”
sañjaya uvāca | śilīmukhair mahārāja mā gāstiṣṭheti cābravīt | mahārāja! tataḥ krodhena bhareṇa arjunena aśvatthāmānaṃ catuḥṣaṣṭi-bāṇaiḥ prahṛtya uktam—“tiṣṭha, mā palāyethāḥ” |
सञ्जय उवाच—महाराज, शिलीमुखैः स तं अब्रवीत्—“मा गाः, तिष्ठ” इति। ततः क्रोधसमाविष्टोऽर्जुनोऽश्वत्थामानं चतुःषष्ट्या शरैर्जघान, “तिष्ठ, मा पलायस्व” इति चोवाच।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kshatriya ideal of not retreating from a rightful battle and meeting an opponent face-to-face. It also implicitly warns how anger can drive escalation, even when one is acting within the warrior code.
Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Arjuna, enraged, attacks Ashvatthama with sixty-four arrows and calls out for him to stand firm rather than flee, intensifying their battlefield confrontation.