Shloka 42
Rātri-yuddhe Droṇasya prahāraḥ — Bhīmasenasya dhārtarāṣṭra-śūrānām nigrahaḥ
Night Battle: Droṇa’s Assault and Bhīma’s Suppression of Dhārtarāṣṭra Warriors
येन शक्रं रणे जित्वा तर्पितो हव्यवाहन: । स हन्ता द्विषतां संख्ये दिष्ट्या जीवति फाल्गुन:,“जिसने रणक्षेत्रमें इन्द्रको जीतकर अग्निदेवको तृप्त किया था, वह शत्रुहन्ता अर्जुन मेरे सौभाग्यसे युद्धस्थलमें जीवित है
yena śakraṃ raṇe jitvā tarpito havyavāhanaḥ | sa hantā dviṣatāṃ saṅkhye diṣṭyā jīvati phālgunaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: “Dia yang dahulu menewaskan Śakra (Indra) dalam pertempuran dan dengan itu memuaskan Havyavāhana (Agni), pembunuh musuh itu—Phālguna (Arjuna)—dengan keberuntungan masih hidup di medan perang.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the warrior ideal that proven valor and past divine-tested achievements become grounds for hope and morale in crisis; it also frames survival in war as dependent not only on prowess but on diṣṭi—favorable destiny or providential fortune.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Arjuna—renowned for earlier feats such as confronting Indra and pleasing Agni—is still alive amid the ongoing slaughter of the Drona Parva battle, a fact presented as a fortunate and significant turn for the Pāṇḍava side.