Shloka 57
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance
पाण्ड्यमिन्द्रमिवायान्तमसुरान् प्रति दुर्जयम् । समर्थ: सायकौचैन वृषसेनो न््यवारयत्,जैसे इन्द्र असुरोंपर आक्रमण करते हैं, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यपर धावा करनेवाले दुर्जय वीर पाण्ड्यको शक्तिशाली वीर वृषसेनने अपने सायकसमूहसे रोक दिया
pāṇḍyam indram ivāyāntam asurān prati durjayam | samarthaḥ sāyakaughena vṛṣaseno nyavārayat ||
Sañjaya said: As Indra advances against the Asuras, so did the unconquerable Pāṇḍya rush forward; but the capable Vṛṣasena checked him with a dense volley of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a martial ethic: valor is not only the force of assault but also the disciplined capacity to counter, restrain, and protect one’s side. In the dharmic frame of battle, prowess is shown through effective resistance as much as through aggressive advance.
Pāṇḍya advances fiercely—likened to Indra attacking the Asuras—while Vṛṣasena meets that charge by stopping him with a concentrated barrage of arrows, preventing his forward surge.