Shloka 33
अध्याय ६० — कर्णस्य पाञ्चाल-सोमक-निग्रहः
Karna’s Suppression of the Panchala–Somaka Forces
आपके महामनस्वी पुत्रका वह पराक्रम देखकर रणभूमिमें सब योद्धा विस्मित हो गये तथा आकाशमें सिद्धों और अप्सराओंके समूह भी आश्वर्य करने लगे ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
āpake mahāmanasvī putrasya taṁ parākramaṁ dṛṣṭvā raṇabhūmau sarve yoddhā vismitā abhavan tathā ākāśe siddhānām apsarasāṁ ca gaṇā api āścaryaṁ cakruḥ ||
dhṛṣṭadyumnaṁ na paśyāma ghaṭamānaṁ mahābalam |
duḥśāsanena saṁruddhaṁ siṁheneva mahāgajam ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that feat of valor of your high-souled son, all the warriors on the battlefield were struck with amazement; even in the sky, companies of Siddhas and Apsarases looked on in wonder. We could no longer see the mighty Dhṛṣṭadyumna striving with all his strength to break free, for he had been hemmed in by Duḥśāsana—like a lion overpowering a great elephant.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming force and tactical restraint can suddenly reverse visibility and agency in war: even a renowned commander may be rendered ineffective when decisively contained. Ethically, it underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between admiration for prowess and the sobering reality that battlefield success is often a matter of momentary advantage rather than lasting righteousness.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Kaurava side is astonished by the valor displayed by Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son, and that celestial beings also marvel. In the immediate combat scene, Dhṛṣṭadyumna is so tightly checked by Duḥśāsana that he is no longer seen clearly, compared to a lion subduing a great elephant.