Shloka 19
Ulūpī–Citravāhinī Saṃvāda: Dhanaṃjaya-patana and Prāya-threat
स तत्र राजा तं वीर॑ शरसंघैरनेकश: । अर्दयामास निशितैराशीविषविषोपमै:
sa tatra rājā taṃ vīraṃ śarasaṃghair anekaśaḥ | ardayāmāsa niśitair āśīviṣaviṣopamaiḥ ||
毗湿摩波耶那说：在那里，国王屡次以箭雨攻逼那位英雄——箭锋锐利，毒烈如毒蛇——一次又一次穿刺其身，使他痛楚难当。此景昭示：在战阵的盲目与争胜之心中，纵是骨肉之情，也会被战争冷酷的势头所压倒。
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension between kṣatriya conduct in battle and the claims of kinship: warfare can drive one to inflict severe harm even upon a revered opponent, reminding the reader that dharma in conflict is fraught and that violence carries real suffering regardless of justification.
In the encounter described, the king repeatedly strikes the opposing hero with many sharp arrows likened to venomous serpents, wounding and tormenting him—an intense moment within the Ashvamedhika Parva’s martial episode.