आगच्छतस् तान् सहसा सर्वोद्योगेन पाण्डवान् ॥
प्रतिजग्राह समरे द्रोणः शस्त्रभृतां वरः ॥
ततो दुर्योधनो राजा सर्वोद्योगेन पाण्डवान् ॥
अभ्यद्रवत् सुसंक्रुद्ध इच्छन् द्रोणस्य जीवितम् ॥
ततः प्रववृते युद्धं श्रान्तवाहनसैनिकम् ॥
पाण्डवानां कुरूणां च गर्जताम् इतरेतरम् ॥
निद्रान्धास् ते महाराज परिश्रान्ताश् च संयुगे ॥
नाभ्यपद्यन्त समरे कां चिच् चेष्टां महारथाः ॥
āgacchatas tān sahasā sarvodyogena pāṇḍavān ||
pratijagrāha samare droṇaḥ śastrabhṛtāṃ varaḥ ||
tato duryodhano rājā sarvodyogena pāṇḍavān ||
abhyadravat susaṃkruddha icchan droṇasya jīvitam ||
tataḥ pravavṛte yuddhaṃ śrāntavāhanasainikam ||
pāṇḍavānāṃ kurūṇāṃ ca garjatām itaretaram ||
nidrāndhās te mahārāja pariśrāntāś ca saṃyuge ||
nābhyapadyanta samare kāṃ cic ceṣṭāṃ mahārathāḥ ||
Those Pandavas, who had suddenly advanced with all their might, were met in battle by Drona, best of weapon-bearers. Then King Duryodhana, with all his might, attacked the Pandavas, furious, wishing to save Drona's life. Then the battle was joined — with weary horses and soldiers — between the Pandavas and the Kurus, roaring at one another. Blinded by sleep, O great king, and exhausted in the fray, the great warriors could accomplish no action at all in battle.
5255f700f083 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:58:11 PM UTC
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The battle drags on, but the warriors are ‘blinded by sleep’ and unable to act: the body's limit overtakes their fury. It is significant that even the greatest are powerless before weariness and sleep. The verse teaches that a human being is not limitless: there are bodily bounds that will alone cannot overcome; and wisdom lies in recognizing them — for an exhausted warrior is no longer a fighter, and battle without rest turns itself into helplessness.