Shloka 39
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
स तानतीत्य वेगेन द्रोणानीकमुपाद्रवत् । अग्रतश्न॒ गजानीकं शरवर्षरवाकिरत्,किंतु भीमसेन अपने वेगसे उन सबको लाँघकर द्रोणाचार्यकी सेनापर टूट पड़े और सामने खड़ी हुई गजसेनाको अपने बाणोंकी वर्षासे आच्छादित करने लगे
sa tān atītya vegena droṇānīkam upādravat | agrataś ca gajānīkaṁ śaravarṣa-ravākirat ||
Sanjaya said: Surging forward with great speed, he leapt past them all and fell upon Droṇa’s battle-formation; and the elephant-corps standing in front he covered over with a roaring rain of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, decisive action and tactical breakthrough become paramount; yet it implicitly raises the ethical tension of the Mahābhārata—martial duty and strategic necessity unfolding within a larger struggle to discern dharma amid escalating violence.
A warrior (contextually Bhīmasena, as reflected in the accompanying Hindi) surges past opposing troops, charges directly into Droṇa’s forces, and blankets the forward elephant division with a loud, dense rain of arrows, signaling an aggressive attempt to pierce the protective front line.