Shloka 59
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
ततो द्रोणश्व पार्थश्ष समेयातां महामृथे । यथा बुधश्च शुक्रश्न महाराज नभस्तले
tato droṇaś ca pārthaś ca sametāṁ mahāmṛdhe | yathā budhaś ca śukraś ca mahārāja nabhastale ||
三阇耶说：随后，德罗那与帕尔他（阿周那）在那场大交锋中相遇相搏。大王啊，恰如天穹之上，布陀（水星）与首迦罗（金星）正面相冲一般。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the gravity of dharma-bound warfare: even revered relationships like teacher and disciple can be drawn into conflict by duty and allegiance. The cosmic simile (Mercury and Venus) underscores that such encounters are not merely personal quarrels but momentous tests of skill, resolve, and ordained roles within a larger moral and historical order.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa and Arjuna have directly engaged each other in the thick of the great battle. Their meeting is portrayed as a dazzling, high-stakes confrontation, likened to two bright planets clashing in the sky.