Shloka 19
Droṇavadha-saṃniveśaḥ — The Convergence Toward Droṇa’s Fall
Book 7, Chapter 164
सोमदत्तस्त्वसम्भ्रान्तो दृष्टवा केतुं निपातितम् । शैनेयं पञचविंशत्या सायकानां समाचिनोत्,ध्वजको गिराया हुआ देख सम्भ्रमरहित सोमदत्तने सात्यकिके शरीरमें पचीस बाण चुन दिये
Somadattas tv asambhrānto dṛṣṭvā ketuṁ nipātitam | Śaineyaṁ pañcaviṁśatyā sāyakānāṁ samācinot ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als er sein Banner gestürzt sah, blieb Somadatta — unerschüttert und ohne Panik — und beschoss Śaineya (Sātyaki) mit fünfundzwanzig Pfeilen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores steadiness (asambhrānta) amid battlefield reversals: even when a warrior’s banner—an emblem of honor and morale—falls, composure and resolve are maintained. Ethically, it reflects the Kṣatriya ideal of firmness under adversity, while also reminding the reader of how quickly conflict intensifies through retaliatory strikes.
Somadatta sees his standard (ketu) brought down. Without becoming rattled, he retaliates by showering Śaineya—Sātyaki—with twenty-five arrows, continuing the fierce exchange of missile warfare in the Drona Parva battle sequence.