Shloka 52
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
सैन्धवं पर्यरक्षन्त शासनात् तनयस्य ते | वे आपके पुत्रकी आज्ञासे धनुष खींचते और बाण छोड़ते हुए वहाँ जयद्रथकी सब ओरसे रक्षा करने लगे ।। ततः पार्थस्य शूरस्य बाह्दोर्बलमदृश्यत
saindhavaṁ paryarakṣanta śāsanāt tanayasya te | te ājñayā putrasya tava dhanuṣaḥ kṛtvā jyāṁ bāṇān visṛjantaḥ tatra jayadrathasya sarvataḥ rakṣāṁ cakruḥ || tataḥ pārthasya śūrasya bāhvor balam adṛśyata |
Sañjaya said: At your son’s command, they drew their bows and loosed arrows, forming a protective ring around Jayadratha on every side. Then the might of the heroic Pārtha’s arms became manifest—an ominous turning point in the battle, where loyalty to a commander’s order collides with the moral weight of shielding a key offender amid a righteous fury.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a dharma-tension: warriors fulfill a commander’s order by protecting an ally, yet that obedience can serve an ethically fraught aim—shielding a pivotal wrongdoer—while righteous force (Arjuna’s prowess) rises in response.
Under Duryodhana’s command, the Kaurava fighters surround and defend Jayadratha with continuous archery. Immediately after, Arjuna’s extraordinary strength and effectiveness in battle becomes clearly visible as he presses through this defense.