Shloka 15
द्रुपद: कौरवान् दृष्टवा प्राधावत समन्ततः । शरजालेन महता मोहयन् कौरवीं चमूम्,राजा ट्रुपदने कौरवोंको देखकर उनपर सब ओरसे धावा बोल दिया और बाणोंका बड़ा भारी जाल-सा बिछाकर कौरव-सेनाको मूर्च्छित कर दिया। युद्धमें फुर्ती दिखानेवाले राजा द्रपद रथपर बैठकर यद्यपि अकेले ही बाण-वर्षा कर रहे थे, तो भी अत्यन्त भयके कारण कौरव उन्हें अनेक-सा मानने लगे
vaiśampāyana uvāca | drupadaḥ kauravān dṛṣṭvā prādhāvat samantataḥ | śarajālena mahatā mohayann kauravīṃ camūm |
Vaiśampāyana said: Seeing the Kauravas, King Drupada charged at them from every side. Casting a vast net of arrows, he threw the Kaurava host into confusion and stupor. Though he fought alone from his chariot, the terror he inspired made the Kauravas perceive him as if he were many—an image of how prowess and momentum in battle can magnify a single warrior’s presence and unsettle an army’s resolve.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how decisive courage and skill can create a moral-psychological advantage in war: a single resolute warrior, acting with speed and mastery, can disrupt a larger force by breaking its composure and cohesion.
Drupada, upon seeing the Kaurava forces, launches an all-around assault and showers them with a dense barrage of arrows, bewildering their army; his prowess is so fearsome that the Kauravas feel as though they face many fighters rather than one.