Mahabharata 7.102.23 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 102, Shloka 23
धर्मराजस्य चिन्ता, भीमसेनप्रेषणम्, द्रोणानीकप्रवेशप्रयत्नः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Anxiety and the Dispatch of Bhīma; Attempted Breakthrough into Droṇa’s Formation
(यथा दैवासुरे युद्धे तृणीकृत्य च दानवान् । इन्द्राविष्णू पुरा राजन् जम्भस्य वधकाडुक्षिणौ ।।
sañjaya uvāca |
yathā daivāsure yuddhe tṛṇīkṛtya ca dānavān |
indrāviṣṇū purā rājan jambhasya vadhakāṅkṣiṇau ||
tau prayātau punar dṛṣṭvā tadānye sainikābruvan |
tvaradhvaṃ kuravaḥ sarve vadhe kṛṣṇakirīṭinoḥ ||
Sañjaya dijo: «Oh rey, así como en la antigua guerra entre dioses y demonios, Indra y Viṣṇu—decididos a dar muerte a Jambha—avanzaron teniendo a los Dānavas por simple paja, del mismo modo Śrī Kṛṣṇa y Arjuna se lanzan con gran velocidad para matar a Jayadratha. Al ver que aquellos dos volvían a abrirse paso, los demás soldados clamaron: “¡Kurus todos, apresuraos: haced cuanto podáis por matar a Kṛṣṇa y a Arjuna, el de la diadema! En este campo de batalla, Kṛṣṇa, sentado en el carro, nos desdeña y, ante los ojos de todos nuestros arqueros, conduce derecho hacia Jayadratha!”»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unwavering resolve toward a chosen aim—here, the vowed slaying of Jayadratha—can make obstacles seem insignificant. It also shows how battlefield perception and morale shift: when leaders act with decisive purpose, opponents feel ‘overlooked’ and react with urgency.
Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are rapidly pushing through the battle lines toward Jayadratha. Their advance is compared to Indra and Viṣṇu moving to kill the asura Jambha, treating the demon host as trivial. Seeing this, other Kaurava soldiers shout for everyone to hurry and try to kill Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.
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