Shloka 55
कृष्णोपदेशः, अर्जुनस्य क्षमा-याचनम्, कर्णवध-अनुज्ञा
Krishna’s Counsel, Arjuna’s Apology, and Authorization for Karṇa’s Slaying
ततः शकुनिनिर्दिष्टा: सादिन: शूरसम्मता: । त्रिसाहस्राभ्ययुर्भीमं शक््त्यृष्टिप्रासपाणय:
tataḥ śakuninirdiṣṭāḥ sādinaḥ śūrasammatāḥ | trisāhasrābhyayur bhīmaṃ śaktyṛṣṭiprāsapāṇayaḥ ||
三阇耶说道：随后，奉沙昆尼之命，三千名被公认为骁勇的骑兵手执沙克提（投枪）、里什提（长矛）与普拉萨（长枪），向毗摩猛冲而来。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war amplifies strategic calculation and collective force against individual prowess. Ethically, it points to the tension between valor and the harsh pragmatism of battle—where commanders deploy numbers and weapons to subdue even a mighty warrior, raising questions about proportionality and the moral cost of victory.
Sañjaya reports that Śakuni directs a contingent of three thousand cavalrymen, regarded as brave fighters, to charge Bhīma. They attack carrying javelins, spears, and lances, indicating a coordinated attempt to overwhelm Bhīma through massed assault.