Shloka 9

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 109 — Karṇa–Bhīma Yuddha and Durmukha’s Fall (कर्णभीमयुद्धम्; दुर्मुखवधः)

Devanagari script

धृष्टकेतुं तथा5<यान्तं द्रोणहेतो: पराक्रमी । वीरधन्वा महेष्वासो वारयामास भारत,भारत! इसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यके हितके लिये महाधनुर्धर पराक्रमी वीरधन्वाने वहाँ आते हुए धृष्टकेतुको रोका

Transliteration

Dhṛṣṭaketuṁ tathāyāntaṁ droṇa-hetoḥ parākramī | vīra-dhanvā maheṣvāso vārayāmāsa bhārata ||

Translation

Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian, ketika Dhṛṣṭaketu mara, pemanah perkasa Vīradhānvā—bertindak demi Droṇa—menyekatnya dan menahannya, wahai Bhārata.

Word by Word

धृष्टकेतुम्Dhṛṣṭaketu

तथाthus, likewise

आयान्तम्coming, approaching

द्रोणहेतोःfor Drona's sake / for the cause of Drona

पराक्रमीvaliant, mighty

वीरधन्वाVīradhanvas (the hero with a bow)

महेष्वासःgreat archer

वारयामासchecked, restrained, stopped

भारतO Bhārata

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛṣṭaketu

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Vīradhānvā

Bhārata (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights battlefield dharma as loyalty-in-action: a warrior restrains an advancing opponent specifically to safeguard his commander (Droṇa). It frames martial ethics as prioritizing protection of one’s leader and strategic duty over personal display.

What is happening in the narrative?

As Dhṛṣṭaketu moves forward to engage, the powerful archer Vīradhānvā intercepts him and prevents his advance, doing so explicitly ‘for Droṇa’s sake,’ while Sañjaya reports this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.