Shloka 58
Bhagadatta’s Advance, the Saṃśaptaka Challenge, and Arjuna’s Counterstrike (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय २६)
पुत्रस्तु तव सम्भ्रान्त: सौभद्रस्याप्लुतो रथम्,उस समय घबराये हुए आपके पुत्र युयुत्सु अभिमन्युके रथपर जा बैठे। हाथीकी पीठपर बैठे हुए राजा भगदत्त शत्रुओंपर बाण-वर्षा करते हुए सम्पूर्ण लोकोंमें अपनी किरणोंका विस्तार करनेवाले सूर्यके समान शोभा पा रहे थे
sañjaya uvāca | putras tu tava sambhrāntaḥ saubhadrasya āpluto ratham | tasmin samaye ghabarāye hue tava putraḥ yuyutsuḥ abhimanyor rathopari upāviśat | hastipṛṣṭhe upaviṣṭo rājā bhagadattaḥ śatrūn prati bāṇa-varṣaṃ kṛtvā samasta-lokeṣu sva-kiraṇān vistārayamāṇasya sūryasya iva śobhāṃ prāpa |
Sañjaya berkata: Putera tuanku, dalam kekalutan, melompat naik ke kereta Saubhadra (Abhimanyu). Pada saat itu Yuyutsu—dalam ketakutan—mengambil tempat di kereta Abhimanyu. Sementara itu Raja Bhagadatta, duduk di atas belakang gajah, menghujani musuh dengan anak panah dan bersinar laksana matahari yang menyebarkan sinarnya ke seluruh alam.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield pressure exposes inner states—confusion, fear, and sudden dependence—while also portraying dazzling martial power. Ethically, it invites reflection on restraint and clarity (dharma-guided action) amid violence: brilliance in war can inspire awe, yet without discernment it intensifies suffering.
Sañjaya reports that, in the chaos of combat, a son of Dhṛtarāṣṭra (identified here with Yuyutsu in the given text) climbs onto Abhimanyu’s chariot. At the same time, Bhagadatta, mounted on his elephant, rains arrows on the enemy and appears radiant like the sun spreading its rays.