Shloka 443
कर्णभीमयुद्धम्
Karna–Bhīma Combat Report
अभिदुद्राव राजानं सिंहो मृगमिवोल्बण: । दृढ़तापूर्वक व्रतका पालन करनेवाले द्रोणके हाथ बड़ी फुर्तीसे चलते थे। जैसे प्रचण्ड सिंह किसी मृगका पीछा करता हो, उसी प्रकार वे तीखे बाणसमूहोंकी वर्षा करते हुए राजा युधिष्ठिरकी ओर दौड़े
abhidudrāva rājānaṃ siṃho mṛgam ivolbaṇaḥ | dṛḍhatāpūrvaka-vrata-kā pālana karanevāle droṇake hātha baṛī phurtīse calate the | jaise pracaṇḍa siṃha kisī mṛgakā pīchā karatā ho, usī prakāra ve tīkhe bāṇa-samūhoṃkī varṣā karate hue rājā yudhiṣṭhirakī ora dauṛe |
Sañjaya said: Drona rushed straight at King Yudhiṣṭhira like a fierce lion charging a deer. Steadfast in his severe vows and discipline, his hands moved with swift precision, and he advanced toward the king while showering volleys of sharp arrows—an image of relentless martial resolve set against the moral weight of striking at the righteous ruler.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse juxtaposes disciplined vow-keeping (vrata, tapas) with the harsh necessities of war: even a rigorously self-controlled warrior may act with relentless force. It invites reflection on how personal discipline can serve divergent ends—upholding duty in battle while intensifying the ethical tension of violence against a dharma-centered king.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa charging toward King Yudhiṣṭhira and raining sharp arrows upon him, using the simile of a fierce lion pursuing a deer to convey speed, inevitability, and predatory pressure in the battlefield moment.