Shloka 33
कर्णपर्व — पञ्चदशोऽध्यायः | Karṇa Parva, Chapter 15: Pāṇḍya’s Advance and Aśvatthāmā’s Counterstroke
तत: शरसहस्राणि प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च । ससूजे द्रौणिरायस्त: संस्तभ्य च रणे<र्जुनम्
tataḥ śara-sahasrāṇi prayutāny arbudāni ca | sasūje drauṇir āyastaḥ saṃstabhya ca raṇe 'rjunam ||
三阇耶说道：随后，德劳尼（阿湿婆他摩）瞄准发矢，在战阵之中遏住阿周那，便开始向他倾泻箭雨——千支、万支，乃至以“俱胝”（crore）计——以铺天盖地的飞矢欲使其动弹不得、受其压制。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, mastery of force and tactics can be used to overwhelm an opponent; ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya valor and the destructive excess that battle can unleash when victory becomes the sole aim.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā (Drauṇi), son of Droṇa, takes aim, checks Arjuna’s movement on the battlefield, and unleashes a massive barrage of arrows—described in hyperbolic numbers to convey the intensity of the assault.