Shloka 59
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
प्रानृत्यदिव सम्बाधे चापहस्तो धनंजय: । रथकी बैठकोंको सूनी करके धरतीपर मनुष्योंकी लाशोंका बिछौना करते हुए चापधारी धनंजय उस युद्धके मैदानमें नृत्य-सा कर रहे थे ।। ५८ $ ।। वज्जकल्पै: शरैर्भूमिं कुर्वन्नुत्तरशोणिताम्,क्रोधमें भरे हुए धनंजयने वज्रोपम बाणोंद्वारा पृथ्वीको रक्तसे आप्लावित करते हुए कौरवी सेनामें प्रवेश किया। उस समय सेनाके भीतर जाते हुए अर्जुनको श्रुतायु तथा अम्बष्ठने रोका
sañjaya uvāca | vajrakalpaiḥ śaraiḥ bhūmiṃ kurvann uttarāśoṇitām, krodhena bhṛto dhanañjayo vajropama-bāṇair pṛthivīṃ raktenāplāvayan kauravī-senāṃ praviśat | tasmin samaye senāyāṃ madhye gacchantaṃ arjunaṃ śrutāyuḥ ambaṣṭhaś ca nyavārayatām ||
Sañjaya said: “With bow in hand, Dhanañjaya seemed to dance amid the press of battle, emptying the chariot-stands and making the earth a bed of corpses. With thunderbolt-like arrows he reddened the ground with blood and entered the Kaurava host; as Arjuna pushed into its heart, Śrutāyu and Ambaṣṭha checked his advance.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain within dharmic warfare: even when fighting for a just cause, a warrior’s anger can magnify destruction. It implicitly points to the need for inner restraint (self-governance) alongside outer duty, reminding readers that righteous ends do not erase the human cost of violence.
Arjuna, described as hurling thunderbolt-like arrows that drench the ground in blood, breaks into the Kaurava formation. As he advances into the army’s interior, two opposing warriors—Śrutāyu and Ambaṣṭha—step forward to halt him, setting up a direct confrontation.