Shloka 44
अध्याय ५८ — वानरध्वजस्य महेन्द्रास्त्रप्रयोगः
Chapter 58: Arjuna’s Deployment of the Indra-Weapon
युद्ध समभवत् तत्र सुसंरब्धं॑ महात्मनो: । द्रोणपाण्डवयोर्घोरें वृत्रवासवयोरिव
yuddhaṃ samabhavat tatra susaṃrabdhaṃ mahātmanoḥ | droṇapāṇḍavayor ghoraṃ vṛtrāvāsavayor iva ||
Vaiśampāyana said: There, a fiercely kindled battle broke out between the two great-souled warriors—Droṇa and the Pāṇḍava—terrible in its intensity, like the clash of Vṛtra and Vāsava (Indra).
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how epic warfare is portrayed through the lens of dharma and heroic ethos: a duel between eminent figures is presented as a grave, world-resonant event. By likening it to Indra’s primordial battle with Vṛtra, the text underscores the moral and cosmic weight that the tradition often assigns to decisive conflicts.
Vaiśampāyana reports that a fierce battle erupts at that point between Droṇa and a Pāṇḍava warrior. The combat is described as extremely terrible, and its intensity is emphasized through a mythic comparison to the legendary fight between Vṛtra and Indra.