वार्यमाणस् तु पार्थेन तथा मध्ये महात्मनाम् ॥
यतमानो ऽर्जुनं प्रीत्या प्रत्यवारयद् उत्स्मयन् ॥
ततो ऽन्तरिक्षे देवाश् च गन्धर्वाश् च सहस्रशः ॥
ऋषयः सिद्धसंघाश् च व्यतिष्ठन्त दिदृक्षया ॥
तद् अप्सरोभिर् आकीर्णं यक्षराक्षससंकुलम् ॥
श्रीमद् आकाशम् अभवद् भूयो मेघाकुलं यथा ॥
तत्र स्मान्तर्हिता वाचो व्यचरन्त पुनः पुनः ॥
द्रोणस्य स्तवसंयुक्ताः पार्थस्य च महात्मनः ॥
विसृज्यमानेष्व् अस्त्रेषु ज्वालयत्सु दिशो दश ॥
vāryamāṇas tu pārthena tathā madhye mahātmanām ||
yatamāno 'rjunaṃ prītyā pratyavārayad utsmayan ||
tato 'ntarikṣe devāś ca gandharvāś ca sahasraśaḥ ||
ṛṣayaḥ siddhasaṃghāś ca vyatiṣṭhanta didṛkṣayā ||
tad apsarobhir ākīrṇaṃ yakṣarākṣasasaṃkulam ||
śrīmad ākāśam abhavad bhūyo meghākulaṃ yathā ||
tatra smāntarhitā vāco vyacaranta punaḥ punaḥ ||
droṇasya stavasaṃyuktāḥ pārthasya ca mahātmanaḥ ||
visṛjyamāneṣv astreṣu jvālayatsu diśo daśa ||
With that pupil -- surpassing all knowers of weapons everywhere -- yet held back by Partha, Drona, amid those great souls, striving, held Arjuna back with love, smiling. Then in the sky the gods and gandharvas by the thousands, the rishis and hosts of siddhas, stood watching, eager to see. That sky, full of apsaras, teeming with yakshas and rakshasas, grew glorious, as if once more filled with clouds. There, unseen voices resounded again and again.
65892d82645f · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:08:17 PM UTC
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Drona holds Arjuna back 'with love, smiling': even in a battle to the death, tenderness lives on between teacher and pupil. It is telling that the heavens fill with onlookers -- their duel is worthy of the gods. The verse teaches that supreme skill and love can coexist with the enmity of duty: the master fights his beloved pupil without losing his love for him; and the greatness of such a battle lies in this, that it is enacted not out of hatred but out of the sorrowful affection of two bound souls.