Shloka 59
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
ततो द्रोणश्व पार्थश्ष समेयातां महामृथे । यथा बुधश्च शुक्रश्न महाराज नभस्तले,महाराज! तत्पश्चात् द्रोणाचार्य और अर्जुन उस महासमरमें एक-दूसरेसे भिड़ गये, मानो आकाशमें बुध और शुक्र एक-दूसरेपर आक्रमण कर रहे हों
tato droṇaś ca pārthaś ca sametāṁ mahāmṛdhe | yathā budhaś ca śukraś ca mahārāja nabhastale ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dann trafen Droṇa und Pārtha (Arjuna) in jenem großen Waffengang aufeinander. O König, es war, als wären Budha (Merkur) und Śukra (Venus) am Himmel in unmittelbare Konfrontation geraten.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity of dharma-bound warfare: even revered relationships like teacher and disciple can be drawn into conflict by duty and allegiance. The cosmic simile (Mercury and Venus) underscores that such encounters are not merely personal quarrels but momentous tests of skill, resolve, and ordained roles within a larger moral and historical order.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa and Arjuna have directly engaged each other in the thick of the great battle. Their meeting is portrayed as a dazzling, high-stakes confrontation, likened to two bright planets clashing in the sky.