Shloka 37
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
ततो दुर्योधनो राजन् भानुमन्तमचोदयत् । सैन्येन महता युक्त भारद्वाजस्य रक्षणे,महाराज! तब दुर्योधनने विशाल सेनासे युक्त भानुमानको द्रोणाचार्यकी रक्षाके कार्यमें नियुक्त किया
tato duryodhano rājan bhānumantam acodayat | sainyena mahatā yukta bhāradvājasya rakṣaṇe ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Duryodhana urged Bhānumān—supported by a great host of troops—to take up the task of guarding the Bhāradvāja (Droṇa). In the press of war, protecting the chief commander becomes a decisive tactical and moral priority.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime ethical-strategic principle: safeguarding a key leader (here, Droṇa) is treated as crucial to the army’s stability and success, showing how duty and strategy intertwine under the pressures of dharma-yuddha.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana assigns Bhānumān, backed by a large force, to protect Droṇa (called ‘Bhāradvāja’), indicating a deliberate protective formation around the commander.