Shloka 20
Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ
Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors
तमायान्तं तथा दृष्टवा भग्नोत्साहं गुरुं तदा । गत्वा वेगात् पुनर्भीमो धुरं गुह्रू रथस्य तु,उस समय गुरु द्रोणका उत्साह भंग हो गया था। उन्हें उस अवस्थामें आते देख भीमने पुनः वेगपूर्वक आगे बढ़कर उनके रथकी धुरी पकड़ ली और अत्यन्त रोषमें भरकर उन अतिरथी वीर द्रोणको भी पुनः रथके साथ ही फेंक दिया। इस प्रकार भीमसेनने खेल-सा करते हुए आठ रथ फेंके
tam āyāntaṃ tathā dṛṣṭvā bhagnotsāhaṃ guruṃ tadā | gatvā vegāt punar bhīmo dhuraṃ gṛhṇād rathasya tu ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing the preceptor Droṇa approaching then, his resolve broken, Bhīma once again surged forward with speed, seized the axle-pole of his chariot, and—burning with wrath—hurled that great chariot-warrior along with his chariot. Thus Bhīmasena, as if in sport, kept flinging chariots aside, eight in all.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the brutal momentum of war where even revered figures like a guru can be treated as opponents once battle-lines are drawn. It raises an ethical tension central to the Mahābhārata: reverence and personal bonds persist, yet kṣatriya-duty and the immediacy of combat can override them, showing how anger and battlefield necessity can eclipse customary restraint.
Sañjaya describes Bhīma seeing Droṇa approaching in a dispirited state. Bhīma rushes forward, grabs the chariot’s dhurā (axle-pole/yoke), and violently flings Droṇa together with his chariot. The surrounding narration emphasizes Bhīma’s extraordinary strength by noting that he tosses aside multiple chariots, eight in total.