Shloka 57
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
युयुत्सुस्तु रथाद् राजन्नपाक्रामत् त्वरान्वित: । ततः: पाण्डवयोधास्ते नागराजं शरैर्द्रूतम्
yuyutsus tu rathād rājan apākrāmat tvarānvitaḥ | tataḥ pāṇḍavayodhās te nāgarājaṃ śarair drutam ||
قال سنجيا: «أيها الملك، إن يويوتسو انسحب سريعاً من عربته على عجل. ثم إن أولئك المحاربين من الباندافا دفعوا بسِهامهم سيدَ الأفيال إلى التراجع.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield prudence: even amid kṣatriya valor, timely withdrawal can be a strategic necessity, while coordinated action by disciplined warriors can neutralize a powerful threat (here, a war-elephant). It also implicitly recalls Yuyutsu’s distinctive ethical alignment with the Pāṇḍavas despite his Kaurava birth, showing that conduct and choice matter alongside lineage.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Yuyutsu hastily leaves/withdraws from his chariot. Immediately afterward, the Pāṇḍava fighters shower arrows and force back a formidable elephant described as ‘nāgarāja,’ indicating a moment of shifting momentum in the battle.