Shloka 14
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
दुर्योधनं पीड्यमानं दृष्टवा भीमेन मारिष । चुक्षो भयिषुरभ्यागादड़ो मातड़मास्थित:,आर्य! भीमसेनके द्वारा दुर्योधनको पीड़ित होते देख क्षोभमें डालनेकी इच्छासे मतवाले हाथीपर बैठे हुए राजा अंग उनका सामना करनेके लिये आ गये
sañjaya uvāca | duryodhanaṁ pīḍyamānaṁ dṛṣṭvā bhīmena māriṣa | cukṣobhayiṣur abhyāgād aṅgo mātanga-m-āsthitaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O venerable one, seeing Duryodhana hard-pressed by Bhīma, the king of Aṅga—seeking to provoke and unsettle Bhīma—advanced to confront him, mounted on a rutting elephant. The scene shows how, amid war’s collapse of dharma, warriors rush in not only to shield allies but also to inflame an opponent’s anger and break his composure.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime ethic where psychological tactics—provoking an opponent’s anger and disturbing his steadiness—are treated as part of combat strategy. It implicitly warns that in battle, loss of composure can be as dangerous as loss of strength, and that loyalty to one’s side often drives actions that intensify violence.
Bhīma is overpowering Duryodhana. Seeing this, the king of Aṅga (understood as Karṇa) advances toward Bhīma, mounted on an elephant, intending to confront him and to unsettle him through provocation.