Shloka 8
द्रोणानीकाभिमुखगमनम्
Abhimanyu advances toward Droṇa’s host
महौघ: सलिलस्येव गिरिमासाद्य दुर्भिदम् । द्रोणं ते नाभ्यवर्तन्त वेलामिव जलाशया:,जैसे दुर्भेद्य पर्वतके पास पहुँचकर जलका महान् प्रवाह अवरुद्ध हो जाता है तथा जिस प्रकार सम्पूर्ण जलाशय (समुद्र) अपनी तटभूमिको नहीं लाँघ पाते, उसी प्रकार वे पाण्डव- सैनिक द्रोणाचार्यके अत्यन्त निकट न पहुँच सके
mahaughaḥ salilasy eva girim āsādya durbhidam | droṇaṁ te nābhyavartanta velām iva jalāśayāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Just as a mighty surge of water is checked when it reaches an unbreakable mountain, and just as the great reservoirs of water do not overstep their shoreline, so the Pāṇḍava warriors could not press in close to Droṇācārya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches, through natural metaphors, that even great power is constrained by firm boundaries—here, the Pāṇḍava force is checked by Droṇa’s disciplined defense, suggesting the ethical and strategic value of restraint, order, and mastery amid chaos.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Pāṇḍava warriors, despite their strength, were unable to get very close to Droṇācārya on the battlefield, as his formation and prowess held them back like an unbreakable mountain stopping a flood.