Shloka 11
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:,राजा ट्रुपदको युद्धमें जीतना बहुत कठिन था। वे चमकीले रथपर सवार हो कौरवोंके सामने जा पहुँचे और भयानक बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
tato rathena śubhreṇa samāsādya tu kauravān | yajñasenaḥ śarān ghorān vavarṣa yudhi durjayaḥ ||
Vaiśampāyana said: Then, mounting his gleaming chariot and closing in upon the Kauravas, Yajñasena (King Drupada)—hard to overcome in battle—poured forth a dreadful shower of arrows in the fight. The scene underscores the warrior-king’s kṣatriya resolve: in the arena of war, he meets the opposing host directly and answers hostility with disciplined martial force.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.