Shloka 24
Adhyāya 18 — Sequential Duels and Formation Pressure
Ulūka–Yuyutsu; Śakuni–Sutasoma; Kṛpa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna; Kṛtavarmā–Śikhaṇḍin
तथेत्युक्त्वार्जुन: कृष्णं शिष्टान् संशप्तकांस्तदा । आशक्षिप्य शस्त्रेण बलाद् दैत्यानिन्द्र इवावधीत्
tathety uktvārjunaḥ kṛṣṇaṃ śiṣṭān saṃśaptakāṃs tadā | āśakṣipya śastreṇa balād daityān indra ivāvadhīt ||
Sañjaya nói: “Vâng,” Arjuna đáp lời Kṛṣṇa. Rồi chàng quay sang những Saṁśaptaka còn lại, dùng binh khí đánh gục họ bằng sức mạnh, tiêu diệt như Indra giết bọn Daitya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfast performance of one’s appointed duty (kṣatriya-dharma) with disciplined resolve, especially when guided by righteous counsel. Arjuna’s prompt assent to Kṛṣṇa and decisive action illustrate commitment to responsibility in a morally weighty context, without hesitation once the course is understood.
Sañjaya reports that Arjuna agrees to Kṛṣṇa and then attacks the remaining Saṃśaptaka warriors, cutting them down with weapons. The poet intensifies the scene by comparing Arjuna’s slaughter to Indra’s mythic destruction of the Daityas.