Shloka 12
Nārāyaṇāstra-utpātaḥ — Aśvatthāman’s Rallying Roar after Droṇa’s Fall (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६७)
महाराज! मयूरके समान रंगवाले घोड़ोंद्वारा आते हुए प्रयत्नशील प्रतिविन्ध्यको दुःशासनने यत्नपूर्वक रोका ।। भैमसेनिमथायान्तं मायाशतविशारदम् | अश्व॒त्थामा महाराज राक्षसं प्रत्यषेधयत्
sañjaya uvāca |
mahārāja! mayūrake samāna-raṅga-vālaiḥ aśvaiḥ āyāntaṁ prayatnaśīlaṁ prativindhyaṁ duḥśāsano yatnapūrvakaṁ arokayat ||
bhaimasenim athāyāntaṁ māyāśata-viśāradaṁ |
aśvatthāmā mahārāja rākṣasaṁ praty-aṣedhayat ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, Duhshasana, with deliberate effort, checked Prativindhya as he advanced, drawn by horses of peacock-like hue. Then Ashvatthama, O Majesty, barred the oncoming Bhimasena—skilled in a hundred stratagems—treating him as a fierce, rakshasa-like foe.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of vigilant opposition: each warrior meets an advancing threat with focused effort and tactical awareness. It also shows how perception and labeling (e.g., calling an opponent ‘rākṣasa’) intensify hostility, shaping the moral atmosphere of war.
As the fighting surges, Prativindhya advances but is deliberately checked by Duhshasana. Immediately after, Bhimasena advances, and Ashvatthama repels him, portraying him as a terrifying, rakshasa-like adversary—signaling a direct, high-stakes clash among major fighters.