Shloka 12
Karṇa’s Camp-Council Discourse: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament, Sañjaya’s Counsel, and Karṇa’s Request for Śalya
Book 8, Chapter 22
ततो बाणांश्षतुःषष्टिं तव पुत्रो महारणे | सहदेवरथं तूर्ण प्रेषयामास भारत,भारत! इतनेहीमें आपके पुत्रने उस महासमरमें सहदेवपर तुरंत ही चौंसठ बाण चलाये
tato bāṇān ṣaṭ-ṣaṣṭiṁ tava putro mahāraṇe | sahadeva-rathaṁ tūrṇaṁ preṣayāmāsa bhārata ||
پھر، اے بھارت! اس عظیم جنگ میں تمہارے بیٹے نے سہ دیو کے رتھ پر فوراً چونسٹھ تیر برسائے۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse primarily functions as battlefield reportage, highlighting the disciplined, rapid execution of a warrior’s attack. Ethically, it sits within the Mahābhārata’s larger tension: kṣatriya duty and skill are displayed amid a fratricidal war whose righteousness is contested.
Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son quickly shoots sixty-four arrows at Sahadeva’s chariot during the great battle, indicating an intense exchange and an attempt to check or damage Sahadeva’s mobility and position.