Shloka 52
दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः
Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva
मोहिता बाणजालेन भारद्वाजेन संयुगे । ऊरुग्राहगृहीतानां पजचलानां महारथा:,उस युद्धस्थलमें भरद्वाजनन्दन द्रोणाचार्यके बाण-समूहोंसे आहत हो पांचाल महारथी मूर्छित हो रहे थे। उनकी जाँघें अकड़ गयी थीं
sañjaya uvāca |
mohitā bāṇajālena bhāradvājena saṃyuge |
ūrugrāhagṛhītānāṃ pāñcālānāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the great chariot-warriors of the Pāñcālas, bewildered and overwhelmed by the net of arrows released by Bhāradvāja’s son (Droṇa), were rendered helpless—like men seized by a grip upon the thighs—stunned and collapsing under the force of his assault.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of war: even celebrated heroes can be rendered helpless by superior force. It implicitly invites reflection on kṣatriya-dharma—duty in battle—while also exposing the suffering and loss of agency that warfare inflicts, complicating any simplistic glorification of victory.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, fighting fiercely, showers the Pāñcāla champions with such dense volleys of arrows that they become dazed and incapacitated, compared to men caught in a disabling thigh-grip, collapsing or losing effective control on the battlefield.