152. Krishna Takes Srutayudha's Mace on Himself : 14th Day of Kurukshetra

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Jayadratha fears Krishna more than Arjuna, yet prepares for battle under Drona’s protection and Shiva’s boon. Krishna reveals the deadly trap hidden within Arjuna’s vow and guides him to seek Shiva’s blessings. Bhishma offers his support and declares that the restoration of dharma begins with Jayadratha’s fall.

Arjuna Prepares to Face Jayadratha

Duryodhana reckons that if Jayadratha can be protected till sunset, Arjuna will kill himself according to his vow, and the Pandavas will collapse without him. He requests Drona to ensure Jayadratha’s safety.

Drona arranges the Kaurava army in Sakata Vyuha, within which lies Padma Vyuha, encircling a needle-shaped Suchi Vyuha. At the end of the needle stands Jayadratha, protected by Kritavarma, Karna and Duryodhana. Drona himself takes position at the front of the Sakata.

Blessings for the Battle

Draupadi places veer-tilak on Arjuna’s forehead and prays that Jayadratha be slain before Abhimanyu’s rites are performed. Arjuna asks Bhima and Satyaki to guard Yudhishtra. Krishna urges Bhima to destroy as many Kaurava warriors as possible.

The fourteenth day of war begins.

Arjuna Bypasses Drona

Drona intercepts Arjuna and challenges him to fight before proceeding toward Jayadratha. Arjuna engages briefly but refuses to lose time. Following Krishna’s counsel, he declares he is unwilling to fight—thus Drona must step aside by dharma. He bows, seeks blessings, and moves forward.

Duryodhana explodes with rage that Drona let Arjuna pass. Drona hands him a divine armor to battle Arjuna. Arjuna shatters the armor, bow and crown with celestial weapons. Duryodhana cries that he is defenceless and should not be attacked. Arjuna scoffs — reminding him of breaking kshatriya dharma in Draupadi’s disrobing and Abhimanyu’s slaughter. Yet he spares him, saying his death belongs only to Bhima.

Satyaki Leaves to Support Arjuna

Bhima challenges Duryodhana’s brothers, and with a mighty blow of his mace, shatters the earth, sending eight brothers into a deep abyss.

Worried that he cannot hear the sound of Gandiva, Yudhishtra commands Satyaki to support Arjuna. Reluctantly, Satyaki leaves after asking Bhima to remain near Yudhishtra.

Srutayudha Challenges Arjuna

Before Arjuna can reach Jayadratha, Srutayudha, king of Kalinga, confronts him. Arjuna’s arrows fail to pierce Srutayudha because he wields a magical mace given by Varuna, which protects him as long as it is not used against an unarmed warrior. If misused, it returns to slay its wielder. Srutayudha fiercely hurls the mace at Arjuna. Krishna orders Arjuna to drop his weapons and stand unarmed. Arjuna hesitates, but his missiles are futile. Krishna rises and receives the mace. It rebounds and strikes Srutayudha dead.

Symbolic Significance

Srutayudha’s death carries a deeper philosophical lesson. His divine mace represents power without discrimination. When he hurls it blindly in anger at an unarmed opponent, the weapon turns back and destroys him — revealing a timeless truth: any force driven by rage, ego, and adharma ultimately consumes its wielder.

Krishna’s instruction to Arjuna to drop his weapons symbolizes victory of restraint over aggression. Courage is not always in striking, but sometimes in refusing to strike. Only when the warrior chooses self-control over fury does unrighteous strength collapse under its own weight.