Shloka 40
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
भ्रातृनथोपेत्य तवापि पुत्र- स्तस्मिन् विमर्दे महति प्रवृत्ते । अयं दुरात्मा द्रुपदस्य पुत्र: समागतो भीमसेनेन सार्थम्
bhrātṝn athopetya tavāpi putras tasmin vimarde mahati pravṛtte | ayaṁ durātmā drupadasya putraḥ samāgato bhīmasenena sārtham ||
Sañjaya said: “And then, approaching your brothers, your son too entered that great melee as it broke out. At that moment, the wicked son of Drupada came there together with Bhīmasena.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse is primarily narrative, but it highlights how, once a great battle-melee begins, leaders and allies converge quickly; it also reflects the epic’s ethical lens by labeling an opponent as “durātmā” (evil-minded), showing that war-reporting in the Mahābhārata often carries moral evaluation alongside description.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son (understood as Duryodhana) moves toward Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s brothers and enters the intense close-quarters fighting. At the same time, Drupada’s son (understood as Dṛṣṭadyumna) arrives on the scene accompanied by Bhīmasena.