Shloka 48
अध्याय ८० — मध्यंदिन-रणवृत्तान्तः
Yudhiṣṭhira–Śrutāyu encounter; Cekitāna–Gautama clash; Abhimanyu pressure; Arjuna’s redeployment
इसी समय दूसरी ओर शणस्त्रधारियोंमें श्रेष्ठ द्रोणाचार्यने ट्रपदके पास जाकर उनको तीन भयंकर बाणोंद्वारा बींध डाला ।।
sañjaya uvāca | so'tividdhas tato rājan raṇe droṇena pārthivaḥ | apāyād drupado rājan pūrvavairam anusmaran ||
Sañjaya sprach: O König, da zog sich Drupada, der Herrscher, von Droṇa im Kampf schwer verwundet, vom Schlachtfeld zurück, eingedenk der alten Feindschaft zwischen ihnen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how unresolved past hostility (pūrva-vaira) can govern conduct in war: even a king’s tactical withdrawal is colored by remembered grievance, reminding readers that inner motives—resentment or duty—shape outward action.
Droṇa strikes Drupada severely in the battle. Wounded, Drupada withdraws from that spot, and the narration notes that he does so while recalling their earlier enmity.