Shloka 15
Nārāyaṇāstra-utpātaḥ — Aśvatthāman’s Rallying Roar after Droṇa’s Fall (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६७)
शतानीकमथायान्तं नाकुलिं रभसं रणे । चित्रसेनो रुरोधाशु शरैद्रोणपरीप्सया,द्रोणाचार्यके वधकी इच्छासे रणक्षेत्रमें वेगपूर्वक आते हुए नकुलपुत्र शतानीकको चित्रसेनने अपने बाणोंद्वारा तुरंत रोक दिया
śatānīkam athāyāntaṃ nākuliṃ rabhasaṃ raṇe | citraseno rurodhāśu śarair droṇaparīpsayā ||
قال سانجيا: لما اندفع شَتانيكا ابنُ ناكولا اندفاعًا متهوّرًا في ساحة القتال، عاجله تشِترسينا بوابلٍ من السهام فأوقفه، مدفوعًا برغبةٍ في بلوغ دروṇاتشاريا—أي دفع القتال نحو جانب دروṇa وغاية الصراع هناك.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield actions are driven by intention (parīpsā): warriors restrain or advance not randomly but to serve a strategic aim—here, pressing toward Droṇācārya. Ethically, it underscores that in war, agency and motive shape the moral and narrative weight of an act.
Śatānīka, Nakula’s son, charges forward in the fight. Citrasena immediately blocks his advance by showering him with arrows, motivated by a purpose connected with Droṇācārya—seeking to reach him or further the struggle around him.