Shloka 127
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
न मया तादृशो राजन दृष्टपूर्व: पराक्रम: । संग्रामे यादृशो द्रौणे: कृष्णौ संछादयिष्यत:
na mayā tādṛśo rājan dṛṣṭapūrvaḥ parākramaḥ | saṅgrāme yādṛśo drauṇeḥ kṛṣṇau saṃchādayiṣyataḥ ||
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: O Hari, kailanma’y hindi pa ako nakakita ng ganyang kagitingan—gaya ng kay Aśvatthāmā, anak ni Droṇa—nang sa labanan ay pinaulanan niya ng mga palaso hanggang matabunan sina Kṛṣṇa at Arjuna. Ipinakikita ng salaysay ang nakapanghihilakbot na tindi ng husay-mandirigma sa digmaan: ang pambihirang lakas ay maaaring pansamantalang manaig kahit sa pinakatanyag na bayani, subalit nananatiling nakapailalim sa mas malawak na paghatol ng dharma sa digmaang ito.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the awe-inspiring, even overwhelming, power that can arise in war, while implicitly reminding the listener that such power is not the final measure of righteousness. Sañjaya’s testimony magnifies martial excellence yet leaves space for the Mahābhārata’s larger ethical frame: prowess (parākrama) is real and fearsome, but dharma and consequence ultimately judge the war’s actors.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, Droṇa’s son, displayed unprecedented valor on the battlefield by releasing such a dense volley of arrows that it seemed to cover both Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna. The moment emphasizes the intensity of the combat and the formidable capability of Aśvatthāmā.