Shloka 15
भीमस्य जलान्वेषणं तथा वनविश्रान्तिः
Bhīma’s Search for Water and the Forest Halt
द्रुपद: कौरवान् दृष्टवा प्राधावत समन्ततः । शरजालेन महता मोहयन् कौरवीं चमूम्
vaiśampāyana uvāca | drupadaḥ kauravān dṛṣṭvā prādhāvat samantataḥ | śarajālena mahatā mohayann kauravīṃ camūm |
Vaiśampāyana berkata: Melihat kaum Kaurava, Raja Drupada menyerbu mereka dari segenap penjuru. Dengan menaburkan jala anak panah yang amat besar, baginda menenggelamkan bala tentera Kaurava dalam kekacauan dan kebingungan. Walaupun baginda bertempur seorang diri dari atas kereta perang, kengerian yang ditimbulkannya membuat kaum Kaurava menyangka baginda seolah-olah ramai—gambaran bahawa keperkasaan dan momentum di medan laga dapat membesarkan wibawa seorang pahlawan tunggal dan menggoncang tekad sesebuah angkatan.
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how decisive courage and skill can create a moral-psychological advantage in war: a single resolute warrior, acting with speed and mastery, can disrupt a larger force by breaking its composure and cohesion.
Drupada, upon seeing the Kaurava forces, launches an all-around assault and showers them with a dense barrage of arrows, bewildering their army; his prowess is so fearsome that the Kauravas feel as though they face many fighters rather than one.