Shloka 44
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
समुत्सृज्याथ शैनेयो गौतमं रथिनां वर: । अभ्यद्रवद् रणे द्रौणिं राहु: खे शशिनं यथा
samutsṛjyātha śaineyo gautamaṁ rathināṁ varaḥ | abhyadravad raṇe drauṇiṁ rāhuḥ khe śaśinaṁ yathā ||
Disse Sañjaya: Então Śaineya (Sātyaki), o mais eminente entre os guerreiros de carro, deixando Gautama (Kṛpa) para trás, investiu em batalha contra Drauṇi (Aśvatthāmā), como Rāhu no céu se lança sobre a lua.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores how, in the moral and strategic pressure of war, a warrior may disengage from one opponent to confront a more urgent danger; the Rahu–moon simile conveys the overwhelming, sudden force of such an assault, reminding readers that battlefield choices are driven by perceived necessity and escalating threat.
Sātyaki, described as the best among chariot-fighters, stops engaging Kṛpa and instead rushes directly at Aśvatthāmā on the battlefield, likened to Rāhu’s attack on the moon during an eclipse.