Shloka 98
अर्जुनस्य शीघ्रप्रयाणं भीम-शकुनियुद्धं च
Arjuna’s Rapid Advance and the Bhīma–Śakuni Encounter
चतुर्दशसहसैौस्तु तुरगाणां महाहवे । द्वाभ्यां शतसहस्राभ्यां पदातीनां च धन्विनाम्
caturdaśasahasais tu turagāṇāṁ mahāhave | dvābhyāṁ śatasahasrābhyāṁ padātīnāṁ ca dhanvinām, śaravarṣair mahārāja sarvataḥ pāṇḍunandanam |
Wika ni Sañjaya: Sa dakilang labanan, O Mahārāja, taglay ang labing-apat na libong kabayo at dalawang daang libong kawal na mamamana, ang mga dakilang mandirigmang karwahero ng Saṁsaptaka ay mula sa lahat ng panig nagpaulan ng mga palaso kay Arjuna, anak ni Pāṇḍu, at sumugod upang itulak ang labanan sa sukdulang bagsik.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension in war: numerical strength and coordinated assault can surround even the most righteous hero, yet a kṣatriya’s dharma is to stand firm under pressure. It highlights endurance, resolve, and the impersonal scale of violence that tests character.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna is being attacked from all sides by a massive contingent—fourteen thousand horses and two hundred thousand infantry archers—who unleash continuous arrow-showers, indicating a concentrated attempt (associated with the Saṁsaptakas) to overwhelm and pin him down in the battle.