Shloka 24
Virāṭa-parva Adhyāya 54 — Missile-Exchange and Tactical Redirection
Arjuna, Aśvatthāman, Karṇa
ततः सुविद्धा: सरथा: सनागा योधा विनेदुर्भरतर्षभाणाम् । अन्तर्हिता भीष्ममुखा: सहा श्वाः किरीटिना कीर्णरथा: पृषत्कै:
tataḥ suviddhāḥ sarathāḥ sanāgā yodhā vinedur bharatarṣabhāṇām | antarhitā bhīṣmamukhāḥ sahāśvāḥ kirīṭinā kīrṇarathāḥ pṛṣatkaiḥ ||
Sinabi ni Vaiśampāyana: Pagkaraan nito, ang mga mandirigma ng hukbong Kuru—mga karwaheng mandirigma na kasama ang kanilang mga karwahe at mga sakay sa elepante na kasama ang kanilang mga elepante—na tinusok nang paulit-ulit ng mga palaso, ay nagsimulang sumigaw sa matinding paghihirap. At nang tabunan ni Kirīṭin (Arjuna) ang kanilang mga karwahe ng siksik na ulang-palaso, si Bhīṣma at ang iba pang pangunahing kampeon, kasama ang kanilang mga kabayo, ay waring naglaho sa paningin—nalulunod at natatakpan ng bagyong palaso.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical gravity of war: even the greatest warriors can be reduced to helplessness amid violence, and martial glory quickly turns into suffering. It implicitly cautions that power and pride are fragile when driven by conflict, reinforcing the Mahābhārata’s recurring reflection on the cost of kṣatriya warfare.
After being struck repeatedly, the Kuru warriors—on chariots and elephants—cry out in pain. Arjuna (Kirīṭin) releases such a dense volley of arrows that Bhīṣma and other leading fighters, along with their horses, appear to disappear, their chariots completely obscured by the arrow-shower.