Shloka 18
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
वारयस्व रणे यत्तो मिषतां सर्वधन्विनाम् | “महाराज! तुम रणदुर्मद घटोत्कचका सामना करनेके लिये शीघ्र जाओ और समस्त धनुर्धरोंके देखते-देखते प्रयत्नपूर्वक उसे रणक्षेत्रमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोको || १७ है ।।
vārayasva raṇe yatto miṣatāṁ sarva-dhanvinām | rākṣasaṁ krūra-karmāṇaṁ yathendraḥ tārakaṁ purā, kathayāmāsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ |
Sañjaya sprach: „Zieh unverzüglich in die Schlacht und bemühe dich, vor den Augen aller Bogenschützen, ihn aufzuhalten. Zügle diesen Rākṣasa von grausamen Taten, wie Indra einst den Vormarsch Tārakas stoppte.“ Nachdem er so gesprochen hatte, stieß der schwer zu Besiegende wieder und wieder tiefe Seufzer aus und erzählte immer erneut vom Sieg des Rākṣasa und von seiner eigenen Demütigung mitten im großen Krieg.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage underscores kṣatriya-duty in crisis: a leader must act decisively to restrain a destructive threat, not merely for personal pride but to preserve order and protect the host. The Indra–Tāraka analogy frames rightful force as protective restraint rather than uncontrolled vengeance.
After suffering a setback at the hands of Ghaṭotkaca, Duryodhana—distressed and repeatedly sighing—approaches Bhīṣma and urges him to go quickly to the front and stop the rākṣasa’s advance in full view of the army, likening the needed intervention to Indra halting Tāraka in ancient times.