Shloka 31
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
अभिद॒द्राव वेगेन द्रोणस्प वधकाड्क्षया । आमिषार्थी यथा सिंहो वने मत्तमिव द्विपम्,तब सुन्दर बाँहोंवाले बलवान वीर धृष्टद्युम्नने चन्द्राकार सौ फुल्लियोंसे सुशोभित तेजस्वी और विस्तृत ढाल तथा दिव्य एवं विशाल खड्ग हाथमें लेकर द्रोणका वध करनेकी इच्छासे उनके ऊपर वेगपूर्वक आक्रमण किया। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे मांस चाहनेवाला सिंह वनमें किसी मतवाले हाथीपर धावा करता है
abhidadrāva vegena droṇasya vadhakāṅkṣayā | āmiṣārthī yathā siṁho vane mattam iva dvipam ||
Sañjaya said: With swift force, Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna charged at Droṇa, intent on killing him—like a flesh-seeking lion in the forest rushing upon a maddened elephant. The verse frames the assault as a deliberate, single-minded act within the brutal ethics of battlefield duty, where personal resolve and strategic necessity drive violent confrontation.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights single-pointed intent in action and the harsh moral landscape of war: within kṣatriya-dharma, decisive aggression is portrayed through a predator–prey simile, underscoring how battlefield duty can channel personal resolve into lethal action.
Sañjaya describes Dhr̥ṣṭadyumna rushing at Droṇa at great speed, determined to kill him, comparing the charge to a lion attacking a maddened elephant in the forest.