Shloka 33
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
स विघातं पृषत्कानामड्कुशेन समाहरन्
sa vighātaṃ pṛṣatkānām aṅkuśena samāharan
Sañjaya dit : Il endigua et rassembla l’assaut des flèches, maîtrisant la situation par une retenue semblable à un aṅkuśa—transformant une pluie chaotique de traits en quelque chose de contenu et de gouvernable au cœur de la fureur du combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in war, effectiveness is linked to restraint: the verse uses the aṅkuśa (goad) as an image of disciplined control—checking a violent surge rather than being overwhelmed by it.
In Sañjaya’s battlefield report, a warrior is described as countering a barrage of arrows—breaking their momentum and bringing the attack under control, as if using a goad to rein in a powerful force.