Shloka 21
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
एतच्छुत्वा तु वचन भीष्मस्य पृतनापते: । प्रययौँ सिंहनादेन परानभिमुखो द्रुतम्
etac chrutvā tu vacanaṃ bhīṣmasya pṛtanāpateḥ | prayayau siṃhanādena parān-abhimukho drutam, kathayāmāsa durdharṣo viniḥśvasya punaḥ punaḥ |
Sañjaya said: Hearing these words of Bhīṣma, the lord of the host, the king set out at once—facing the enemy and roaring like a lion. The hard-to-subdue warrior, again and again drawing long breaths, recounted the matter in full: the victory of Ghaṭotkaca and his own humiliation, unable to endure the sting of defeat amid the great war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral-psychological theme: attachment to honor and the inability to tolerate defeat can overpower prudence, pushing a warrior back into violence despite counsel. It implicitly warns that pride (māna) and wounded ego distort judgment in dharmic crises.
After Bhīṣma’s words are heard, Bhagadatta (as the immediate subject of the marching action) advances swiftly toward the enemy with a lion-like roar. In the surrounding narrative context, Duryodhana—distressed by a setback involving Ghaṭotkaca—has reported events to Bhīṣma, repeatedly sighing as he recounts the reversal.