Shloka 47
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
ते द्रोणं सहिता: शूरा: सर्वतः प्रत्यवारयन् । गभस्तिभिरिवादित्यं तपन्तं भुवनं यथा
te droṇaṃ sahitāḥ śūrāḥ sarvataḥ pratyavārayan | gabhastibhir ivādityaṃ tapantaṃ bhuvanaṃ yathā ||
Sañjaya said: United together, those valiant warriors hemmed in Droṇa from every side—just as the sun, scorching the worlds, is encircled by its own rays. The image underscores both Droṇa’s overwhelming martial heat and the coordinated resolve of his opponents to contain a force that threatens the balance of the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how immense power (Droṇa, likened to the scorching sun) can be met not merely by individual valor but by disciplined unity and coordinated restraint. Ethically, it suggests that in a dharmic struggle, unchecked force must be contained through collective responsibility and strategic cooperation.
In the Drona Parva battle sequence, a group of brave warriors, acting together, surround and check Droṇa on all sides. Sañjaya describes this containment through a vivid simile: as the blazing sun is encompassed by its own rays, so Droṇa is hemmed in by the warriors closing in around him.