Shloka 28
Adhyāya 40 (Book 7, Droṇa-parva): Abhimanyu’s Rapid Advance and Battlefield Disruption
तं तथा नाशकत् वक्िद् द्रोणाद् वारयितुं रथी
taṃ tathā nāśakat vakid droṇād vārayituṃ rathī
Sañjaya said: In that situation, the chariot-warrior was unable to restrain him from Droṇa—so overpowering was Droṇa’s force on the battlefield, and so futile were attempts to check his advance.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring Mahābhārata ethic of realism in warfare: even skilled warriors may be unable to check a superior force. It underscores humility before overwhelming prowess and the limits of individual agency amid the larger momentum of battle.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a chariot-warrior could not restrain someone in the face of Droṇa—indicating Droṇa’s dominance at this point in the fighting and the failure of attempts to stop or divert the action connected with him.