Shloka 37
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance
परम बुद्धिमान् नवयुवक विकर्णने युवावस्थासे सम्पन्न ट्रपदकुमार शिखण्डीको युद्धमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोका ।। ततस्तमिषुजालेन याज्ञसेनि: समावृणोत् । विधूय तद् बाणजालं बभौ तव सुतो बली,तब शिखण्डीने अपने बाण-समूहसे विकर्णको आच्छादित कर दिया। आपका बलवान् पुत्र उस सायक-जालको छित्न-भिन्न करके बड़ी शोभा पाने लगा
tatas tam iṣujālena yājñaseniḥ samāvṛṇot | vidhūya tad bāṇajālaṃ babhau tava suto balī ||
Sañjaya berkata: Lalu Yājñaseni (Śikhaṇḍī) menyelimuti Vikarṇa dengan jaring anak panah. Namun, setelah mengguncang dan menghamburkan anyaman anak panah itu, putramu yang perkasa tampak bersinar di medan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: steadiness under pressure and mastery over fear and confusion. Ethically, it also underscores how war rewards technical prowess and resilience, even when the broader conflict is tragic and morally complex.
Śikhaṇḍī (called Yājñaseni) releases a dense volley, ‘covering’ his opponent with an arrow-net. The Kaurava prince addressed as ‘your son’ (to Dhṛtarāṣṭra) counters by shaking off and breaking through the barrage, emerging radiant and formidable.