Shloka 73
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna
यथा च ब्रह्माणा बद्धं संग्रामे तारकामये । शक्रस्य कवचं दिव्यं तथा बध्नाम्यहं तव,स संनद्धों महाबाहुराचार्येण महात्मना । रथानां च सहस्रेण त्रिगर्तानां प्रहारिणाम् महामना आचार्यके द्वारा अपने शरीरमें कवच बाँध जानेपर महाबाहु दुर्योधन प्रहार करनेमें कुशल एक सहख्र त्रिगर्तदेशीय रथियों, एक सहस््र पराक्रमशाली मतवाले हाथीसवारों, एक लाख घुड़सवारों तथा अन्य महारथियोंसे घिरकर नाना प्रकारके रणवाद्योंकी ध्वनिके साथ अर्जुनके रथकी ओर चला। ठीक उसी तरह, जैसे राजा बलि (इन्द्रके साथ युद्धके लिये) यात्रा करते हैं
yathā ca brahmaṇā baddhaṃ saṅgrāme tārakāmaye | śakrasya kavacaṃ divyaṃ tathā badhnāmy ahaṃ tava || sa saṃnaddho mahābāhur ācāryeṇa mahātmanā | rathānāṃ ca sahasreṇa trigartānāṃ prahāriṇām ||
Sañjaya said: “Just as, in the star-filled war, Brahmā fastened upon Śakra (Indra) his divine armor, so do I now bind this armor upon you. Thus armed by the great-souled Teacher, the mighty-armed (king) stood fully prepared, surrounded by a thousand Trigarta chariot-warriors skilled in striking.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a mythic precedent—Brahmā securing Indra’s divine armor—to legitimize and intensify the warrior’s readiness. Ethically, it highlights how authority (the Ācārya) and ritualized preparation can embolden combatants, while also reminding the listener that war is framed through sacred analogies that can both inspire courage and obscure moral scrutiny.
Sañjaya narrates that the warrior (contextually Duryodhana) is being armed—his armor is fastened on—by the great teacher (Droṇa). Once fully equipped, he stands surrounded by a thousand Trigarta chariot-fighters skilled in attack, indicating a coordinated advance and the escalation of battle formations.