Shloka 18
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
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
sa cchinnadhanvā samare gadāṃ gurvīṃ mahāyaśāḥ | droṇāya preṣayāmāsa girisāramayīṃ balī ||
三阇耶说道：弓在战中被斩断后，那强健而显赫的勇士持利湿底优摩那便向德罗那阿阇黎掷出一柄沉重的钉头槌，坚硬如山中矿石。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
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.
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.