Shloka 63
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
गोपाल इव दण्डेन यथा पशुगणान् वने । आवेष्टयत तां सेनां भगदत्तस्तथा मुहुः,जैसे ग्वाला जंगलमें पशुओंको डंडेसे हाँकता है, उसी प्रकार भगदत्तने पाण्डव-सेनाको बार-बार घेर लिया
gopāla iva daṇḍena yathā paśugaṇān vane | āveṣṭayat tāṃ senāṃ bhagadattas tathā muhuḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Just as a cowherd in the forest drives and gathers a herd with his staff, so did Bhagadatta again and again encircle the Pāṇḍava army.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how power and technique can dominate a battlefield: disciplined control of space and movement can overwhelm even a strong force. Ethically, it is a neutral narrative simile—showing that skill (nīti in warfare) can be used to constrain others, reminding readers that capability is morally shaped by the cause it serves.
Sañjaya describes Bhagadatta repeatedly surrounding the Pāṇḍava forces. The comparison to a cowherd driving animals with a staff emphasizes Bhagadatta’s ability to herd the opposing troops into a confined position, suggesting pressure, containment, and tactical superiority at that moment.