Shloka 326
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
प्रेषयामास समरे सो5स्य काये न्न्यमज्जत । तदनन्तर उस रणक्षेत्रमें उन्होंने द्वितीय कालदण्डके समान अत्यन्त भयंकर बाण चलाया। वह बाण धूृष्टद्युम्नके शरीरमें धँस गया
sañjaya uvāca | preṣayāmāsa samare so 'sya kāye nyamajjata | tad-anantaraṃ raṇakṣetre te dvitīya-kāladaṇḍa-samam atyanta-bhayaṅkaraṃ bāṇam acālayat | sa bāṇo dhṛṣṭadyumnasya śarīre dhaṃs gataḥ |
সঞ্জয় বললেন—সমরে তিনি এক শর নিক্ষেপ করলেন, তা তার দেহে প্রবেশ করল। তারপরই রণক্ষেত্রে মৃত্যুর দ্বিতীয় দণ্ডের ন্যায় অতিভয়ংকর এক বাণ ছুড়লেন; সেই বাণ ধৃষ্টদ্যুম্নের শরীরে বিদ্ধ হয়ে গেঁথে রইল।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s stark portrayal of war: once dharma has collapsed into armed conflict, death becomes an ever-present moral horizon. The simile of the 'rod of Death' highlights the inevitability and gravity of lethal action, reminding readers that martial prowess carries irreversible ethical consequences.
Sañjaya reports that a combatant fires an arrow that penetrates and lodges in the body, and then another extremely fearsome arrow—likened to a second staff of Death—strikes Dhṛṣṭadyumna and embeds in him, marking a severe blow amid the ongoing battle.