Shloka 36
त॑ भीम: समरश्लाघी गुरुं पितृसमं रणे | विव्याध पञ्चभिर्भल्लैस्तथा षष्ट्या च भारत,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी भारत! तब युद्धकी श्लाघा रखनेवाले भीमसेनने भी रणक्षेत्रमें पिताके समान पूजनीय गुरु द्रोणाचार्यको पैंसठ भल्लोंद्वारा घायल कर दिया
taṁ bhīmaḥ samarāślāghī guruṁ pitṛ-samaṁ raṇe | vivyādha pañcabhir bhallais tathā ṣaṣṭyā ca bhārata | ekaikaṁ tribhir ānarccchat kaḍuka-barhiṇa-vājitaiḥ | tataḥ suśarmāṇaṁ ca kṛpācāryaṁ ca tribhis tribhir viddhvā | prāgjyotiṣa-nareśaṁ bhagadattaṁ sindhu-rājaṁ jayadrathaṁ citrasenaṁ vikarṇaṁ kṛtavarmāṇaṁ durmiṣaṇaṁ tathā | mahārathī vindānuvindau ca—eteṣāṁ pratyekaṁ gṛdhra-pakṣa-yuktaiḥ tribhis tribhir bāṇaiḥ viśeṣa-pīḍām akarot ||
Sañjaya said: Bhīma, proud of his prowess in battle, struck in the fight his teacher Droṇa—revered like a father—with sharp bhalla arrows, five and then sixty more. He then singled out each of the opposing warriors and pierced them with three arrows apiece, feathered like the pinions of a vulture, causing them acute distress. He likewise wounded Suśarmā and the preceptor Kṛpa with three arrows each. Thus, on the battlefield, Bhīmasena grievously injured Droṇācārya, the guru worthy of filial reverence, even while the demands of war compelled him to fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain of kṣatriya-dharma: even a guru revered like a father may become an opponent in war. Reverence does not erase duty, yet the narrative invites reflection on how violence, obligation, and respect collide in extreme circumstances.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma’s battlefield assault: he pierces Droṇa with many bhalla arrows and then strikes several named Kaurava-side warriors—each with three vulture-feathered arrows—inflicting sharp pain and demonstrating his dominance in that phase of the fight.