Shloka 23
धर्मराजस्य चिन्ता, भीमसेनप्रेषणम्, द्रोणानीकप्रवेशप्रयत्नः
Yudhiṣṭhira’s Anxiety and the Dispatch of Bhīma; Attempted Breakthrough into Droṇa’s Formation
(यथा दैवासुरे युद्धे तृणीकृत्य च दानवान् । इन्द्राविष्णू पुरा राजन् जम्भस्य वधकाडुक्षिणौ ।।) राजन! पूर्वकालमें जैसे देवासुर-संग्राममें चम्भासुरका वध करनेकी इच्छावाले इन्द्र और भगवान् विष्णु दानवोंको तिनकोंके समान तुच्छ मानते हुए आगे बढ़ गये थे (उसी प्रकार श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुन जयद्रथको मारनेके लिये बड़े वेगसे अग्रसर हो रहे हैं)। तौ प्रयातौ पुनर्दष्टवा तदान्ये सैनिकाब्रुवन् त्वरध्वं कुरव: सर्वे वधे कृष्णकिरीटिनो:,उन दोनोंको पुनः आगे बढ़ते देख दूसरे सैनिक बोल उठे--“कौरवो! श्रीकृष्ण और अर्जुनका वध करनेके लिये तुम सब लोग शीघ्र चेष्टा करो। इस रणक्षेत्रमें रथपर बैठे हुए श्रीकृष्ण हमारी अवहेलना करके हम सब थधनुर्धरोंके देखते-देखते जयद्रथकी ओर बढ़े जा रहे हैं!
sañjaya uvāca |
yathā daivāsure yuddhe tṛṇīkṛtya ca dānavān |
indrāviṣṇū purā rājan jambhasya vadhakāṅkṣiṇau ||
tau prayātau punar dṛṣṭvā tadānye sainikābruvan |
tvaradhvaṃ kuravaḥ sarve vadhe kṛṣṇakirīṭinoḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O King, just as in the ancient war between gods and demons, Indra and Viṣṇu—intent on slaying Jambha—advanced, treating the Dānavas as mere straw, so too are Śrī Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna surging forward with great speed to kill Jayadratha. Seeing those two press on again, the other soldiers cried out: ‘All you Kurus, hurry—make every effort to kill Kṛṣṇa and the diademed Arjuna! From his chariot in this battlefield, Kṛṣṇa is disregarding us and, before the eyes of all our bowmen, is driving straight toward Jayadratha!’”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unwavering resolve toward a chosen aim—here, the vowed slaying of Jayadratha—can make obstacles seem insignificant. It also shows how battlefield perception and morale shift: when leaders act with decisive purpose, opponents feel ‘overlooked’ and react with urgency.
Sañjaya tells Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna are rapidly pushing through the battle lines toward Jayadratha. Their advance is compared to Indra and Viṣṇu moving to kill the asura Jambha, treating the demon host as trivial. Seeing this, other Kaurava soldiers shout for everyone to hurry and try to kill Kṛṣṇa and Arjuna.