Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
ततो दुर्योधनो राजन् भानुमन्तमचोदयत् । सैन्येन महता युक्त भारद्वाजस्य रक्षणे,महाराज! तब दुर्योधनने विशाल सेनासे युक्त भानुमानको द्रोणाचार्यकी रक्षाके कार्यमें नियुक्त किया
tato duryodhano rājan bhānumantam acodayat | sainyena mahatā yukta bhāradvājasya rakṣaṇe ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: O Hari, pagkatapos ay hinimok ni Duryodhana si Bhānumān—na may kasamang malaking hukbo—na akuin ang tungkuling bantayan ang Bhāradvāja (si Droṇa). Sa gitna ng digmaan, ang pag-iingat sa punong kumandante ay nagiging pasyang mahalaga, sa taktika man at sa bigat ng dharma.
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights a wartime ethical-strategic principle: safeguarding a key leader (here, Droṇa) is treated as crucial to the army’s stability and success, showing how duty and strategy intertwine under the pressures of dharma-yuddha.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Duryodhana assigns Bhānumān, backed by a large force, to protect Droṇa (called ‘Bhāradvāja’), indicating a deliberate protective formation around the commander.