Book 9 (Śalya-parva), Adhyāya 13 — Arjuna’s Arrow-storm and the Drauṇi Confrontation
ते च्छन्ना: समरे तेन पाण्डवानां महारथा:
te cchannāḥ samare tena pāṇḍavānāṃ mahārathāḥ
サンジャヤは言った。「その戦いにおいて、パーンダヴァ方の大車戦士たちは彼の猛攻に圧倒され、覆い尽くされるかのように追い詰められた。武器の激突するただ中で押し迫られ、戦の潮目は彼の襲撃によって転じたのである。」
संजय उवाच
The verse underscores the volatility of war: even the foremost heroes (mahārathas) can be suddenly pressed and obscured by a single opponent’s momentum. Ethically, it highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that prowess is real yet unstable, and that outcomes in battle are shaped by circumstance, resolve, and the larger moral-cosmic order.
Sañjaya reports that, during the fighting, the Pāṇḍavas’ leading chariot-warriors were ‘covered/overwhelmed’ by a particular warrior’s assault—suggesting a moment where the enemy’s attack dominated the field and forced the Pāṇḍava champions into a pressured, obscured situation.