Shloka 54
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
चेकितानो धृष्टकेतुर्युयुत्सुश्चार्दयन् द्विपम् । त एन॑ शरधाराभिर्धाराभिरिव तोयदा:
cekitāno dhṛṣṭaketur yuyutsuś cārdayan dvipam | te enaṁ śaradhārābhir dhārābhir iva toyadāḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭaketu et Yuyutsu pressèrent violemment l’éléphant. Ils le criblèrent de flots continus de flèches, tels des nuages porteurs de pluie déversant des torrents ininterrompus — image d’une force implacable au cœur de la fureur dite juste et du devoir guerrier.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores steadfastness in one’s appointed duty amid chaos: disciplined, collective effort in battle is portrayed through the ethical frame of kṣatriya-dharma, using a vivid simile to show unwavering resolve rather than cruelty for its own sake.
Sañjaya reports that Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭaketu, and Yuyutsu jointly assail an elephant, striking it with dense, continuous volleys of arrows, compared to rain-clouds releasing torrents.