Shloka 168
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
निमेषान्तरमात्रेण साश्वसूतरथद्विपाम् । अक्षौहिणीं राक्षसानां शितैर्बाणैरशातयत्,उसने पलक मारते-मारते अपने पैने बाणोंसे घोड़े, सारथि, रथ और हाथियोंसहित राक्षसोंकी एक अक्षौहिणी सेनाका संहार कर दिया
nimeṣāntaramātreṇa sāśvasūtarathadvipām | akṣauhiṇīṃ rākṣasānāṃ śitair bāṇair aśātayat ||
निमेषान्तरमात्रेण साश्वसूतरथद्विपाम्। अक्षौहिणीं राक्षसानां शितैर्बाणैरशातयत्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, immense power can erase vast lives in a moment. Even when framed within battlefield duty, such instantaneous slaughter intensifies the ethical gravity of violence and reminds the listener of the fragility of embodied life.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied by context) annihilates a full akṣauhiṇī of Rākṣasa fighters almost instantly, using sharp arrows, destroying not only soldiers but also their war-assets—horses, charioteers, chariots, and elephants.