गृहीत्वा धनुर् अन्यत् तु शल्यो विव्याध पाण्डवम् ॥
भूरिश्रवास् त्रिभिर् बाणैर् हेमपुङ्खैः शिलाशितैः ॥
कर्णो द्वात्रिंशता चैव वृषसेनश् च पञ्चभिः ॥
जयद्रथस् त्रिसप्तत्या कृपश् च दशभिः शरैः ॥
मद्रराजश् च दशभिर् विव्यधुः फल्गुनं रणे ॥
ततः शराणां षष्ट्या तु द्रौणिः पार्थम् अवाकिरत् ॥
वासुदेवं च सप्तत्या पुनः पार्थं च पञ्चभिः ॥
gṛhītvā dhanur anyat tu śalyo vivyādha pāṇḍavam ||
bhūriśravās tribhir bāṇair hemapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ ||
karṇo dvātriṃśatā caiva vṛṣasenaś ca pañcabhiḥ ||
jayadrathas trisaptatyā kṛpaś ca daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ ||
madrarājaś ca daśabhir vivyadhuḥ phalgunaṃ raṇe ||
tataḥ śarāṇāṃ ṣaṣṭyā tu drauṇiḥ pārtham avākirat ||
vāsudevaṃ ca saptatyā punaḥ pārthaṃ ca pañcabhiḥ ||
Having taken another bow, Shalya pierced the son of Pandu; Bhurishravas with three gold-feathered arrows whetted on stone, and Karna with thirty-two, and Vrishasena with five, Jayadratha with seventy-three, and Kripa with ten arrows. Then the son of Drona showered Partha with sixty arrows, and Vasudeva with seventy, and again Partha with five.
f78ab2f0fdcb · published Jul 19, 2026, 3:52:56 PM UTC
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The tally of arrows -- three, thirty-two, seventy-three -- paints an entire host collapsing upon one man: each of the nine adds his own share to the common downpour. It is telling that even together they cannot break an archer kept by the Lord. The verse teaches that the combined strength of many, set against one shielded by truth, only shows the vanity of numbers: where the Lord Himself is the charioteer's support, a hail of arrows shatters like a wave against an unmoved shore.