Shloka 47
Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ते च्छन्ना: समरे तेन पाण्डवानां महारथा:
te cchannāḥ samare tena pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ
سنجے نے کہا—اس معرکے میں پانڈوؤں کے وہ مہارتھی اس کے حملے سے دب گئے؛ ہتھیاروں کی ٹکر کے بیچ وہ اس کے ہاتھوں چاروں طرف سے ڈھک سے گئے، اور اس کی یورش سے جنگ کا دھارا گویا پلٹ گیا۔
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the volatility of war: even the foremost heroes (mahārathas) can be suddenly pressed and obscured by a single opponent’s momentum. Ethically, it highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that prowess is real yet unstable, and that outcomes in battle are shaped by circumstance, resolve, and the larger moral-cosmic order.
Sañjaya reports that, during the fighting, the Pāṇḍavas’ leading chariot-warriors were ‘covered/overwhelmed’ by a particular warrior’s assault—suggesting a moment where the enemy’s attack dominated the field and forced the Pāṇḍava champions into a pressured, obscured situation.