Shloka 51
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 29 — Arjuna’s defeat of Vṛṣaka–Acalā and the neutralization of Śakuni’s māyā
निहत्य तं नरपतिमिन्द्रविक्रमं सखायमिन्द्रस्य तदैन्द्रिराहवे । ततो<परांस्तव जयकाड्क्षिणो नरान् बभज्ज वायुर्बलवान् द्रमानिव,राजन! इस प्रकार इन्द्रकुमार अर्जुनने इन्द्रके सखा तथा इन्द्रके समान ही पराक्रमी राजा भगदत्तको युद्धमें मारकर आपकी सेनाके अन्य विजयाभिलाषी वीर पुरुषोंको भी उसी प्रकार मार गिराया, जैसे प्रबल वायु वृक्षोंको उखाड़ फेंकती है
nihatya taṃ narapatim indravikramaṃ sakhāyam indrasya tadaindrir āhave | tato 'parāṃs tava jayākāṅkṣiṇo narān babhañja vāyur balavān drumān iva, rājan |
Sañjaya said: Having slain that king of Indra-like prowess—Bhagadatta, a friend of Indra—Indra’s son (Arjuna) in that battle then shattered your other warriors who were eager for victory, O king, just as a mighty wind uproots trees. The verse underscores the relentless momentum of war: personal valor and divine associations do not avert death, and victory-seeking zeal, when met by superior force, collapses like a forest before a storm.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the overpowering force of martial destiny and prowess in war: even a king famed for Indra-like valor and divine friendship can fall, and victory-driven warriors may be swept away when confronted by a superior combatant—suggesting the fragility of worldly strength and the grave momentum of kṣatriya conflict.
Sañjaya reports to the king that Arjuna has slain Bhagadatta—described as Indra’s friend and Indra-like in valor—and then proceeds to crush other warriors of the king’s army, compared to a strong wind uprooting trees.