Shloka 21
भीमसेन-द्रोण-संग्रामः
Bhīmasena and Droṇa: Containment, Advance, and Recognition
तथा हि मुखवर्णो5यमनयोरिति मेनिरे । तावका वीक्ष्य मुक्त तौ विक्रोशन्ति सम सर्वश:,इन दोनोंके मुखकी कान्ति वैसी ही थी, ऐसा सभी सैनिक मान रहे थे। विषधर सर्प और प्रज्वलित अग्निके समान भयंकर द्रोणाचार्य तथा अन्य नरेशोंके हाथसे छूटे हुए दो प्रकाशमान सूर्योके सदृश श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनको वहाँ देखकर आपके समस्त सैनिक सब ओरसे कोलाहल मचा रहे थे
tathā hi mukhavarṇo ’yam anayor iti menire | tāvakā vīkṣya muktau tau vikrośanti samaṃ sarvaśaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Sungguh, cahaya wajah keduanya sama,” demikian para kesatria menilai. Melihat dua itu terlepas, pasukanmu pun menimbulkan gemuruh dari segala penjuru; mereka memandang Kṛṣṇa dan Arjuna berkilau laksana dua matahari, seakan-akan terlepas dari genggaman Droṇa yang mengerikan dan para raja lainnya—Droṇa menakutkan baga ular berbisa dan api yang menyala.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how collective judgment and morale shift in war: when extraordinary warriors regain freedom of action, their visible radiance and reputation can overwhelm opponents psychologically. It also implies an ethical dimension of kṣatriya warfare—power must be restrained or released with discernment, because its effects extend beyond physical combat to the minds of all who witness it.
Sañjaya reports that the Kaurava soldiers, seeing Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna ‘released’ from the pressure of Droṇa and allied kings, perceive their faces as equally radiant and cry out in alarm from all sides. The imagery compares Droṇa’s terror to serpent and fire, and Kṛṣṇa–Arjuna to two blazing suns, emphasizing the sudden resurgence of their battlefield dominance.