Shloka 48
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
तवार्जुनो नानुमते ब्रह्म॒बन्धो रणाजिरम् | प्रविष्ट: स हि दुर्धर्ष: शक्रस्पापि विशेद् बलम्,“ब्रह्मबन्धो! अर्जुन तुम्हारी अनुमतिसे इस समरांगणमें नहीं प्रविष्ट हुए हैं। वे तो दुर्जय हैं। देवराज इन्द्रकी सेनामें भी घुस सकते हैं
tavārjuno nānumate brahmabandho raṇājiram | praviṣṭaḥ sa hi durdharṣaḥ śakrasyāpi viśed balam ||
Sañjaya said: “O brahmabandhu, Arjuna has not entered this battlefield with your consent. He is truly irresistible—he could even force his way into the army of Śakra (Indra).”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores Arjuna’s unstoppable martial capability and the inevitability of his action: he does not require another’s permission to fulfill his warrior purpose, and rhetorical rebuke (“brahmabandhu”) is used to shame unworthy opposition.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, addressing an opponent as “brahmabandhu,” that Arjuna has entered the battlefield without that person’s consent and is so formidable that he could penetrate even Indra’s celestial host.