Shloka 43
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
ललाटे5ताडयच्चैनं नाराचेन स्मयन्निव । ऊर्ध्वरश्मिरिवादित्यो विबभौ तेन पाण्डव:,द्रोणने मुसकराते हुए-से नाराच चलाकर भीमसेनके ललाटमें चोट पहुँचायी। उस नाराचसे पाण्डुपुत्र भीमसेन ऊपर उठी किरणोंवाले सूर्यके समान सुशोभित होने लगे
lalāṭe tāḍayac cainaṃ nārācena smayann iva | ūrdhvaraśmir ivādityo vibabhau tena pāṇḍavaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Smiling as though in derision, he struck him on the forehead with a nārāca arrow. Wounded by that shaft, the Pāṇḍava (Bhīmasena) shone forth like the sun with its rays rising upward—his valor made more manifest even amid injury. The scene underscores the warrior-ethic of the battlefield: blows are exchanged without retreat, and a hero’s steadfastness is measured by how he bears pain without abandoning his duty.
संजय उवाच