Shloka 45
Adhyāya 14: Śalya’s Missile-Pressure and the Pāṇḍava Convergence (शल्यस्य शरवर्षम्)
ततः सज्जो महाराज द्रौणिराहवदुर्मद: । अर्जुनं योधयामास संशप्तकवृतो रणे,महाराज! फिर युद्धसज्जासे सुसज्जित हो रणभूमिमें संशप्तकोंसे घिरा हुआ रणदुर्मद द्रोणकुमार अर्जुनके साथ युद्ध करने लगा
tataḥ sajjo mahārāja drauṇir āhavadurmadāḥ | arjunaṃ yodhayāmāsa saṃśaptakavṛto raṇe ||
Sañjaya berkata: Maka, wahai Raja, Drauṇi—angkuh dan dirasuk kegilaan amarah medan perang—pun mengambil pendirian untuk bertempur. Dikepung di gelanggang oleh para Saṃśaptaka, dia menentang Arjuna dalam pertarungan sengit, menajamkan ketegangan moral dan strategi perang, ketika sumpah, kesetiaan, dan murka mengheret para pahlawan ke dalam pertembungan tanpa henti.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how vows and martial duty can intensify conflict: warriors bound by oaths (Saṃśaptakas) and driven by pride or battle-fury (durmada) press into combat. Ethically, it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—dharma in war is not only about courage, but also about mastering anger and ambition so that duty does not become mere violence.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā (Drauṇi), fully prepared for battle and surrounded by the Saṃśaptakas, directly engages Arjuna in combat on the battlefield, signaling a focused and intense confrontation within the larger war.