Shloka 446
Karṇa-parva Adhyāya 58 — Arjuna’s Arrow-Storm and Relief of Bhīmasena
नाशकद् भरतश्रेष्ठ यतमानो महारथ: । भरतश्रेष्ठ! यद्यपि धृष्टद्युम्न रथहीन हो गये थे
na aśakad bharataśreṣṭha yatamāno mahārathaḥ |
Wika ni Sañjaya: “O pinakadakila sa mga Bharata, bagama’t buong lakas na nagsikap ang dakilang mandirigmang-karwahe na si Aśvatthāmā, hindi niya napatay si Dhṛṣṭadyumna. Kahit si Dhṛṣṭadyumna ay nawalan na ng karwahe, napatay ang mga kabayo, naputol ang busog, at paulit-ulit na nasugatan ng mga palaso—ang katawan ay lupaypay sa hagupit ng mga sandata—si Aśvatthāmā, sa kabila ng walang tigil na pagsisikap, ay nabigong kitlin ang kanyang buhay.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that sheer prowess and strenuous effort in war do not guarantee success; outcomes can be constrained by circumstance, timing, and the larger flow of destiny. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that battlefield results are not purely mechanical products of strength, but are shaped by complex moral and cosmic factors.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā, despite being a formidable mahāratha, cannot kill Dhṛṣṭadyumna. Dhṛṣṭadyumna is described as severely disadvantaged—without chariot, horses slain, bow cut, and repeatedly wounded—yet he survives Aśvatthāmā’s attempts.