Shloka 39
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
स तानतीत्य वेगेन द्रोणानीकमुपाद्रवत् । अग्रतश्न॒ गजानीकं शरवर्षरवाकिरत्,किंतु भीमसेन अपने वेगसे उन सबको लाँघकर द्रोणाचार्यकी सेनापर टूट पड़े और सामने खड़ी हुई गजसेनाको अपने बाणोंकी वर्षासे आच्छादित करने लगे
sa tān atītya vegena droṇānīkam upādravat | agrataś ca gajānīkaṁ śaravarṣa-ravākirat ||
Namun Bhimasena menerjang dengan dahsyat, melampaui mereka semua, lalu menghantam barisan tempur Droṇa; dan pasukan gajah yang berdiri di depan ia selimuti dengan hujan panah yang menderu.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, decisive action and tactical breakthrough become paramount; yet it implicitly raises the ethical tension of the Mahābhārata—martial duty and strategic necessity unfolding within a larger struggle to discern dharma amid escalating violence.
A warrior (contextually Bhīmasena, as reflected in the accompanying Hindi) surges past opposing troops, charges directly into Droṇa’s forces, and blankets the forward elephant division with a loud, dense rain of arrows, signaling an aggressive attempt to pierce the protective front line.