Mahabharata — Adi Parva, Shloka 34
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
पदातींश्व रथांश्चैव न्यवधीदर्जुनाग्रज: । गोपाल इव दण्डेन यथा पशुगणान् वने
padātīṁś ca rathāṁś caiva nyavadhīd arjunāgrajaḥ | gopāla iva daṇḍena yathā paśugaṇān vane ||
Dijo Vaiśampāyana: El hermano mayor de Arjuna abatió tanto a los infantes como a los guerreros de carro, obligándolos a retroceder con la misma facilidad con que un vaquero gobierna en el bosque a un hato con su vara. La imagen subraya una fuerza disciplinada: poder empleado para someter y encauzar, no sólo para desatar la ira, en medio de las duras exigencias de la batalla.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames martial action through the ethic of disciplined control: even in violence, the ideal leader acts with steadiness and purpose, like a herdsman guiding and restraining a herd—power as governance rather than mere fury.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Arjuna’s elder brother overwhelms opposing forces—both infantry and chariot fighters—subduing them decisively; the comparison to a cowherd with a staff emphasizes ease, authority, and control in the midst of conflict.