Shloka 14
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
सौभ दैत्यपुरं खस्थं शाल्वगुप्तं दुरासदम् । समुद्रकुक्षौ विक्रम्य पातयामास माधव:
saubha daityapuraṁ khasthaṁ śālvaguptaṁ durāsadam | samudrakukṣau vikramya pātayāmāsa mādhavaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana dit : Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa), s’étant avancé jusque dans le sein même de l’océan, abattit Saubha—la citadelle aérienne des Dānavas—bien gardée par Śālva et presque impossible à prendre d’assaut.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights that power fortified by illusion, aggression, or adharma—however impregnable it appears—can be brought down by steadfast, righteous strength aligned with the restoration of order.
Vaiśampāyana narrates that Kṛṣṇa (Mādhava) advanced into the sea-region and caused Saubha, the sky-borne demon stronghold guarded by Śālva and hard to attack, to fall.