Shloka 86
भीमसेन-द्रोण-संग्रामः
Bhīmasena and Droṇa: Containment, Advance, and Recognition
विमुक्तौ ज्वलनस्पर्शान्मकरास्याज्ञषाविव । शत्रुओंको संतप्त करनेवाले वे दोनों महात्मा श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन अग्निके समान दाहक स्पर्शवाले मगरके मुखसे छूटे हुए दो मत्स्योंके समान अस्त्र-शस्त्रोंकी बाधाओं तथा संकटोंसे मुक्त दिखायी दे रहे थे
vimuktau jvalana-sparśān makarāsyājñāṣāv iva | śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-karaṇau tau dvau mahātmānau śrī-kṛṣṇa-arjunau agni-samāna-dāhaka-sparśau makarāsyāt mucitau dvau matsyāv iva astrāśastra-bādhābhyaḥ saṅkaṭebhyaś ca vimuktau dṛśyete sma |
Kedua pahlawan agung itu—Śrī Kṛṣṇa dan Arjuna—tampak bebas dari rintangan senjata dan dari bahaya, bagaikan dua ikan yang terlepas dari rahang makara; sentuhan mereka membakar laksana api dan mereka menyiksa musuh-musuhnya.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness and protected purpose in a dharmic struggle: when righteous resolve is joined with extraordinary guidance (here, Kṛṣṇa with Arjuna), even severe threats and weapon-born obstacles fail to bind. Ethically, it frames power as responsibility—strength that burns is directed against adharma, not for cruelty.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna appear to have escaped grave peril and the press of enemy weapons. He uses vivid imagery—two fish slipping free from a makara’s jaws—to convey how they emerge unharmed and remain formidable, like fire in their capacity to scorch opponents.