Shloka 19
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
सा गदा वेगवन्मुक्ता प्रायाद् द्रोणजिघांसया । तत्राद्भुतमपश्याम भारद्वाजस्य विक्रमम्
sā gadā vegavanmuktā prāyād droṇajighāṃsayā | tatrādbhutam apaśyāma bhāradvājasya vikramam ||
Sanjaya said: That mace, hurled with great speed in the desire to slay Drona, sped toward him. Yet there we witnessed something astonishing—the extraordinary prowess of Bharadvaja’s son, Dronacharya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid lethal intent and escalating violence, the epic highlights disciplined capability and composure in action: extraordinary prowess is portrayed not merely as brute force, but as mastery and steadiness under attack—an aspect of kṣatriya conduct on the battlefield.
A mace is thrown with the intention of killing Droṇa. Sañjaya reports that, instead of Droṇa being overwhelmed, the observers witness Droṇa’s astonishing martial prowess in responding to the attack.