Shloka 18
Chapter 12: Arjuna’s suppression of the Saṃśaptakas and duel with Aśvatthāmā
Drauṇi
कलापिनश्चापहस्ता दीर्घकेशा: प्रियंवदा: । पत्तय: सादिनक्षान्ये घोररूपपराक्रमा:
sañjaya uvāca |
kalāpinaścāpahastā dīrghakeśāḥ priyaṃvadāḥ |
pattayaḥ sādinakṣānye ghorarūpaparākramāḥ ||
tābhyāṃ muktā mahābāṇāḥ kaṅkabārhiṇavāsasaḥ |
dyotayanto diśaḥ sarvāḥ sampetuḥ svarṇabhūṣaṇāḥ ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: “O Hari, ang mga mandirigmang iyon—na kapwa nanumpang yayakapin ang kamatayan—ay hindi nag-iwanan. May balahibo ng paboreal sa ulo, kumikislap ang mga busog sa kanilang mga kamay, mahahabang buhok na umaalon, at mga salitang kaaya-ayang pakinggan, sila’y sumugod. Ang iba pang mga kawal na lakad at mga mangangabayo ay kakila-kilabot din ang anyo at mabagsik ang lakas. Mula sa dalawang iyon, pinakawalan ang malalaking palaso—pinalamutian ng ginto at may balahibo ng buwitre at paboreal—na nagliliyab sa paglipad, wari’y nagpapaliwanag sa lahat ng dako bago bumagsak.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in the kṣatriya world of the Mahābhārata, comradeship and resolve can become a collective vow unto death. It also hints at an ethical tension: outward refinement (pleasant speech, ornamentation) can coexist with—and even serve—the grim machinery of violence, reminding the reader to judge by intent and action rather than appearance.
Sañjaya describes a group of warriors who do not abandon each other, marked by peacock-feathers and bows. He then depicts two principal fighters releasing mighty, gold-adorned arrows with distinctive feathering, which streak through the sky as if lighting up the quarters before falling.