Shloka 9
Chapter 30: Formation Disruption, Competing War-Cries, and Nīla’s Fall
Droṇa-parva
श्यालौ तव महात्मानौ राजानौ वृषकाचलौ | भृशं विजषघ्नतुः पार्थमिन्द्रं वृत्रबलाविव,महाराज! आपके दोनों साले महामनस्वी राजकुमार वृषक और अचल, इन्द्रको वृत्रासुर तथा बलासुरके समान, अर्जुनको अत्यन्त घायल करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | śyālau tava mahātmānau rājānau vṛṣakācalau | bhṛśaṃ vijaṣaghnatuḥ pārtham indraṃ vṛtrabālāv iva, mahārāja |
Sañjaya said: “O great king, your two brothers-in-law—those high-souled princes, Vṛṣaka and Acala—assailed Pārtha (Arjuna) with fierce blows, wounding him severely, as Vṛtra and Bala once pressed Indra in battle.” The narration underscores how kinship ties within the Kuru house intensify the moral tragedy of the war: relatives, bound by loyalty to their side, drive the violence to its harshest pitch even against the foremost hero of the opposing camp.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical tension of dharma in war: even ‘noble’ kinsmen, compelled by allegiance and the momentum of conflict, can become agents of severe harm. The epic simile (Indra pressed by asuras) frames Arjuna’s suffering as part of a larger, recurring pattern of cosmic and human struggle, inviting reflection on how loyalty and rivalry can override familial bonds.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s two brothers-in-law, the princes Vṛṣaka and Acala, are striking Arjuna fiercely and causing him serious injury, likening their assault to the way Vṛtra and Bala once fought against Indra.