Shloka 43
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
शिने: पौत्रस्य तु रथं परिगृहा महाद्विप:
śineḥ pautrasya tu rathaṃ parigṛhya mahādvipaḥ
Sañjaya berkata: Gajah yang perkasa itu, setelah mencengkam kereta perang cucu Śini, merapat menekannya—gambaran kekuatan yang melimpah menindih seorang pahlawan tunggal di tengah kekacauan perang, tempat keberanian diuji berhadapan dengan daya kasar.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: courage and steadiness are tested when a warrior faces disproportionate, crushing power. It underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring theme that dharma in war includes endurance and composure amid sudden, life-threatening reversals.
Sañjaya describes a war-elephant (mahādvipa) moving in and physically seizing or hemming in the chariot belonging to Śini’s grandson, signaling an imminent danger and a dramatic escalation in that combat encounter.