Shloka 37
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance
परम बुद्धिमान् नवयुवक विकर्णने युवावस्थासे सम्पन्न ट्रपदकुमार शिखण्डीको युद्धमें आगे बढ़नेसे रोका ।। ततस्तमिषुजालेन याज्ञसेनि: समावृणोत् । विधूय तद् बाणजालं बभौ तव सुतो बली,तब शिखण्डीने अपने बाण-समूहसे विकर्णको आच्छादित कर दिया। आपका बलवान् पुत्र उस सायक-जालको छित्न-भिन्न करके बड़ी शोभा पाने लगा
tatas tam iṣujālena yājñaseniḥ samāvṛṇot | vidhūya tad bāṇajālaṃ babhau tava suto balī ||
Sañjaya said: Then Yājñaseni (Śikhaṇḍī) enveloped him in a net of arrows. Shaking off and scattering that web of shafts, your mighty son shone forth in battle—showing both martial skill and steadfast resolve amid the chaos of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its battlefield form: steadiness under pressure and mastery over fear and confusion. Ethically, it also underscores how war rewards technical prowess and resilience, even when the broader conflict is tragic and morally complex.
Śikhaṇḍī (called Yājñaseni) releases a dense volley, ‘covering’ his opponent with an arrow-net. The Kaurava prince addressed as ‘your son’ (to Dhṛtarāṣṭra) counters by shaking off and breaking through the barrage, emerging radiant and formidable.