Shloka 29
Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)
विव्याध निशितैर्बाणैरर्जुनं प्रहसन्निव । पुनश्चैव शतेनास्य संरुरोध महारथम्
vivyādha niśitair bāṇair arjunaṁ prahasann iva | punaś caiva śatenāsya saṁrurodha mahāratham ||
विव्याध निशितैर्बाणैरर्जुनं प्रहसन्निव। पुनश्चैव शतेनास्य संरुरोध महारथम्॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic where skill and resolve are tested together: the attacker uses both physical force (sharp arrows, repeated volleys) and mental pressure (mocking laughter) to destabilize a great warrior. It reflects the kṣatriya arena where endurance, composure, and mastery under provocation are crucial.
Sañjaya reports that an unnamed warrior strikes Arjuna with sharp arrows while seeming to laugh, and then further restrains him by showering him with a hundred arrows, effectively checking Arjuna’s movement and momentum in the fight.