युधिष्ठिरं महाराज जिगीषुं समवस्थितम् ॥
सहानीकं ततो द्रोणो न्यवारयत वीर्यवान् ॥
नकुलं कुशलं युद्धे पराक्रान्तं पराक्रमी ॥
अभ्यगच्छत् समायान्तं विकर्णस् ते सुतः प्रभो ॥
सहदेवं तथायान्तं दुर्मुखः शत्रुकर्शनः ॥
शरैर् अनेकसाहस्रैः समवाकिरद् आशुगैः ॥
yudhiṣṭhiraṃ mahārāja jigīṣuṃ samavasthitam ||
sahānīkaṃ tato droṇo nyavārayata vīryavān ||
nakulaṃ kuśalaṃ yuddhe parākrāntaṃ parākramī ||
abhyagacchat samāyāntaṃ vikarṇas te sutaḥ prabho ||
sahadevaṃ tathāyāntaṃ durmukhaḥ śatrukarśanaḥ ||
śarair anekasāhasraiḥ samavākirad āśugaiḥ ||
"Yudhishthira, O great king, longing for victory, standing ready with his troop — him the valiant Drona then held back. Nakula, skilled in battle and valiant, was met as he advanced by the valiant Vikarna, your son, O lord. And Sahadeva, likewise approaching, Durmukha, the tormentor of foes, showered with many thousands of swift-flying arrows."
5fc2795f5fd2 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:22 PM UTC
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Drona himself takes his stand in Yudhishthira's path — this is the knot of the day: while Arjuna is far away, the teacher strains to fulfill his promise to Duryodhana, to take the king alive. It is telling that the Pandava brothers are drawn apart into separate duels (Nakula and Sahadeva each bound to his own opponent), so that Yudhishthira is left alone against Drona. The verse teaches that an enemy's design aims at the place where protection has been divided; the scattering of guardians is itself the breach through which calamity approaches the undefended.