भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
ततो रथेन शुभ्रेण समासाद्य तु कौरवान् | यज्ञसेन: शरान् घोरान् ववर्ष युधि दुर्जय:
tato rathena śubhreṇa samāsādya tu kauravān | yajñasenaḥ śarān ghorān vavarṣa yudhi durjayaḥ ||
Lalu Yajñasena (Raja Drupada), yang sukar ditaklukkan dalam perang, menaiki keretanya yang berkilau, mendekati para Kaurava, dan di medan laga menumpahkan hujan panah yang mengerikan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its narrative form: a ruler renowned as 'durjaya' (hard to defeat) confronts opponents directly and employs measured martial action. Ethically, it reflects the epic’s recurring idea that, once battle is joined, a warrior’s duty is steadfastness and courage rather than retreat.
Drupada (called Yajñasena) rides his shining chariot up to the Kaurava forces and begins a fierce assault, showering them with arrows, marking an intense escalation in the battlefield encounter.