Shloka 72
Droṇa Encircled at Night: Coalition Advance and Battlefield Omens (द्रोणपर्यावरणं रात्रियुद्धवर्णनम्)
तांस्तु निर्जित्य समरे भीमसेनो महाबल:
tāṁstu nirjitya samare bhīmaseno mahābalaḥ
Sañjaya said: Having overcome them in the thick of battle, Bhīmasena—mighty in strength—stood victorious. The line underscores the relentless momentum of war, where prowess and resolve decide the immediate outcome, even as the larger moral weight of violence continues to hang over the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights martial excellence and determination in a kṣatriya context: victory in war comes through strength and effective action. Ethically, it also reminds the reader that battlefield success is immediate and tactical, while the broader moral consequences of violence remain part of the epic’s larger reflection on dharma.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhīma has defeated the opposing fighters referred to as “them” and has prevailed in that encounter on the battlefield.