Shloka 5
ततो गाण्डीवनिर्मुक्तिरिषुभिमोहितो नृप: । हयमुत्सृज्य तं वीरस्तत: पार्थमुपाद्रवत्,गाण्डीव धनुषसे छूटे हुए बाणोंके प्रहारसे व्याकुल हो वीर राजा वज्रदत्तने उस घोड़ेको तो छोड़ दिया और स्वयं पुनः नगरमें प्रवेश करके कवच आदिसे सुसज्जित हो एक श्रेष्ठ गजराजपर चढ़कर वह रणकर्कश नरेश युद्धके लिये बाहर निकला। आते ही उसने पार्थपर धावा बोल दिया
tato gāṇḍīva-nirmuktair iṣubhir mohitō nṛpaḥ | hayam utsṛjya taṁ vīras tataḥ pārtham upādravat ||
Pagkaraan, ang hari—nalito at nayanig sa mga palasong pinakawalan mula sa Gāṇḍīva—ay binitiwan ang kabayo. Ang matapang na mandirigma ay agad na sumugod kay Pārtha (Arjuna), ipinagpapatuloy ang labanan kahit tinatamaan ng mabagsik na ulang-palaso.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya resolve under pressure: even when overwhelmed by superior skill, a ruler may choose direct confrontation rather than retreat. Ethically, it frames the tension between pride-driven aggression and the disciplined, duty-bound conduct embodied by Arjuna in the Ashvamedha context.
A king, struck into confusion by Arjuna’s arrows shot from Gāṇḍīva, abandons the horse and charges straight at Arjuna (Pārtha), intensifying the battle.