Shloka 18
Nārāyaṇāstra-utpātaḥ — Aśvatthāman’s Rallying Roar after Droṇa’s Fall (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६७)
इसी प्रकार रणभूमिमें शत्रुसैनिकोंका संहार करनेवाले, हर्ष और उत्साहसे युक्त, महाधनुर्धर द्रोणाचार्यको पांचाल राजकुमार धृष्टद्युम्नने आगे बढ़नेसे रोक दिया ।। तथान्यान् पाण्डुपुत्राणां समायातान् महारथान् | तावका रथिनो राजन् वारयामासुरोजसा,राजन्! इसी तरह आक्रमण करनेवाले पाण्डव-पक्षके अन्य महारथियोंकों आपकी सेनाके महारथियोंने बलपूर्वक रोका
tathānyān pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ samāyātān mahārathān | tāvakā rathino rājan vārayāmāsur ojasā ||
Sañjaya said: In the same manner, O King, as Dhṛṣṭadyumna checked the advance of Droṇācārya—who was joyfully and vigorously slaughtering the enemy host—so too did your chariot-warriors, with sheer force, hold back the other great champions of the Pāṇḍavas as they surged forward. The scene underscores how, amid the fury of battle, individual prowess and disciplined resistance shape the course of slaughter and survival, even when the combatants are bound by duty to fight.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of kṣatriya-dharma: warriors must meet force with force, restraining an onrushing enemy not out of personal hatred but out of duty to their side. It also implies that even the mightiest fighter’s advance can be checked when opponents act with coordinated vigor.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna halted Droṇa’s forward movement, and likewise the Kaurava chariot-warriors powerfully stopped other approaching Pāṇḍava great chariot-fighters, preventing them from breaking through.