Shloka 18

Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation

Devanagari script

सच्छिन्नथन्वा समरे गदां गुर्वी महायशा: । द्रोणाय प्रेषयामास गिरिसारमयीं बली,धनुष कट जानेपर महायशस्वी बलवान वीर धृष्टद्युम्नने समरभूमिमें द्रोणाचार्यपर लोहेकी बनी हुई एक भारी गदा चलायी

Transliteration

sa cchinnadhanvā samare gadāṃ gurvīṃ mahāyaśāḥ | droṇāya preṣayāmāsa girisāramayīṃ balī ||

Translation

ధనుస్సు కోసబడిన వెంటనే మహాయశస్సుగల బలవంతుడైన ధృష్టద్యుమ్నుడు, పర్వతధాతువలె కఠినమైన భారమైన గదను ద్రోణాచార్యునిపై విసిరాడు।

Word by Word

सच्छिन्नधन्वाhe whose bow was well-broken / completely shattered

समरेin battle

गदाम्a mace

गुर्वीम्heavy

महायशाःthe greatly renowned one

द्रोणायto/for Droṇa

प्रेषयामासsent / hurled

गिरिसारमयीम्made of mountain-iron (ore/metal)

बलीthe strong one

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇācārya

gadā (mace)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights kṣatriya-dharma in its stark battlefield form: even after losing a principal weapon, a warrior is expected to persist in combat using available means. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s tension between duty-bound valor and the tragic momentum of violence once war is joined.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a moment in the fighting where a renowned, powerful warrior—his bow having been cut—throws a very heavy, ore-hard mace at Droṇācārya, showing the intensity of the duel and the shift from archery to close-combat weaponry.