Shloka 38
द्रोणस्य सुपर्णव्यूहः — युधिष्ठिरप्रत्यव्यूहः
Droṇa’s Suparṇa Formation and Yudhiṣṭhira’s Counter-array
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे चैव प्रमत्ते सव्यसाचिनि । व्यूढानीकस्ततो द्रोणो युधिष्ठिरमुपाद्रवत्,जब इधर सव्यसाची अर्जुन उस युद्धमें भली प्रकार लगे हुए थे, उसी समय अपनी सेनाका व्यूह बनाकर द्रोणाचार्यने युधिष्ठिरपर आक्रमण किया
etasminn antare caiva pramatte savyasācini | vyūḍhānīkas tato droṇo yudhiṣṭhiram upādravat ||
Sañjaya said: In that very moment, while Savyasācin (Arjuna) was absorbed in the fighting and seemingly off his guard, Droṇa—having arrayed his forces in a battle-formation—launched an assault upon Yudhiṣṭhira. The episode shows how, in war, a commander exploits openings when a key protector is engaged elsewhere, sharpening the ethical tension between strategic necessity and striking at a dharma-minded king.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral pressure of warfare: tactical advantage is gained by exploiting moments when a principal defender is fully engaged, yet such opportunism—especially against a dharma-oriented leader like Yudhiṣṭhira—invites reflection on the boundary between legitimate strategy and ethically troubling targeting.
While Arjuna (Savyasācin) is intensely occupied in battle and thus not positioned to shield Yudhiṣṭhira, Droṇa arranges his troops in a formation (vyūha) and advances to attack Yudhiṣṭhira directly.