Shloka 63
Droṇa–Arjuna Yuddha; Trigarta-Āvaraṇa; Bhīmasena Gajānīka-bheda
Droṇa and Arjuna Engage; Trigarta Containment; Bhīma Breaks the Elephant Corps
महाशनिर्यथा भ्रष्टा शक्रमुक्ता नभोगता । उन वेगवान् नरेशने उक्त बाणके द्वारा उस महान् त्रिशूलको काट डाला। वह सुवर्णभूषित त्रिशूल दो टुकड़ोंमें कटकर ऊपरकी ओर उछला। उस समय वह इन्द्रके हाथसे छूटकर आकाशशसे गिरते हुए महान् वज़्के समान सुशोभित हुआ || ६२ ह ।। शूलं निपतितं दृष्ट्वा द्विधा कृत्तं च पार्थिव:,त्रिशूलको दो टुकड़ोंमें कटकर गिरा हुआ देख राजा भगदत्तने आगकी लपटोंसे वेष्टित तथा सुवर्णमय दण्डसे विभूषित एक महाशक्ति हाथमें ली और उसे राक्षसपर चला दिया। फिर वे बोले--खड़ा रह, खड़ा रह
mahāśanir yathā bhraṣṭā śakramuktā nabhogatā | śūlaṁ nipatitaṁ dṛṣṭvā dvidhā kṛttaṁ ca pārthivaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: As a mighty thunderbolt, released by Indra, falls from the sky, so did that trident—severed in two—drop down and gleam. Seeing the trident cut in half and fallen, the king (Bhagadatta) seized a great śakti-weapon, wreathed in flames and adorned with a golden shaft, and hurled it at his foe, crying, “Stand! Stand!”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights the kṣatriya code in war: when one weapon fails, the warrior does not collapse into despair but responds with resolve and readiness. Ethically, it also shows how battle can rapidly escalate through ever more destructive weapons, underscoring the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between valor and the tragic cost of violence.
Sañjaya describes a trident being cut into two and falling like Indra’s thunderbolt. Seeing this, King Bhagadatta takes up a blazing śakti-weapon with a golden shaft and hurls it at his opponent, challenging him with the cry “Stand! Stand!”