Shloka 15
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
तामापतन्तीं सहसा शक्ति कनकभूषिताम् । त्रिधा चिच्छेद समरे भारद्वाजो हसन्निव,उस सुवर्णभूषित शक्तिको सहसा आती देख द्रोणाचार्यने समरभूमिमें हँसते-हँसते उसके तीन टुकड़े कर दिये
tām āpatantīṁ sahasā śaktiṁ kanakabhūṣitām | tridhā ciccheda samare bhāradvājo hasann iva ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that golden-ornamented spear rushing toward him all at once, Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), as if smiling, cut it into three pieces on the battlefield. The scene underscores the grim asymmetry of war: skill and composure can neutralize even a deadly weapon in an instant, yet such mastery is exercised within a violent field where lives are at stake.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined mastery and mental steadiness in crisis: even a lethal threat can be met with clarity and skill. Ethically, it also reminds the reader that such excellence, when deployed in war, serves destructive ends—raising questions about how power and training are used within dharma’s constraints.
A gold-adorned spear (śakti) is hurled and comes rushing in suddenly. Droṇa, referred to by his patronymic Bhāradvāja, intercepts it in battle and slices it into three pieces, appearing unshaken—“as if smiling.”