Shloka 77
Śalya–Bhīma Gadāyuddham (मद्रराज-भीमसेन गदायुद्धम्)
सिन्धुराजं परित्यज्य सौभद्र: परवीरहा । तापयामास तत् सैन्यं भुवनं भास्करो यथा,शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले सुभद्राकुमारने सिन्धुराज जयद्रथको छोड़कर, जैसे सूर्य सम्पूर्ण जगत्को तपाते हैं, उसी प्रकार उस सेनाको संताप देना आरम्भ किया
sindhurājaṃ parityajya saubhadraḥ paravīrahā | tāpayāmāsa tat sainyaṃ bhuvanaṃ bhāskaro yathā ||
Sañjaya said: Leaving aside Jayadratha, the king of Sindhu, Saubhadra—slayer of enemy heroes—began to scorch that host, just as the sun scorches the world. The verse highlights Abhimanyu’s tactical choice to press the wider battle rather than fixate on a single protected foe, intensifying the moral pressure of war where valor and duty collide with stratagem and collective responsibility.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores disciplined valor in war: a warrior may set aside a single, symbolically charged opponent and instead act for the immediate duty of breaking the enemy’s overall strength. It also hints at the ethical weight of warfare—power used like the sun’s heat affects all, not only the intended target.
Sañjaya reports that Abhimanyu, instead of engaging Jayadratha (the Sindhu king), turns his force against the broader enemy formation and begins to overwhelm it, compared to the sun’s scorching heat spreading over the whole world.