Shloka 29
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance
तिष्ठन्तमग्रे तं दृष्टवा प्रतिविन्ध्यं महाहवे । द्रौणिर्मानं पितुः कुर्वन् मार्गणै: समवारयत्,उस महासमसमें प्रतिविन्ध्यको द्रोणाचार्यके सामने खड़ा देख पिताका सम्मान करते हुए अश्वत्थामाने बाणोंद्वारा रोक दिया
tiṣṭhantam agre taṃ dṛṣṭvā prativindhyaṃ mahāhave | drauṇir mānaṃ pituḥ kurvan mārgaiḥ samavārayat ||
Sañjaya sprach: Als er Prativindhya inmitten der großen Schlacht standhaft an der Spitze stehen sah, hielt Aśvatthāman (Drauṇi), entschlossen, die Ehre seines Vaters zu wahren, ihn mit einem Hagel von Pfeilen auf.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how the pursuit of honor—especially filial loyalty to a revered father—can become a powerful motive in war, blending devotion with aggression and raising ethical tension between personal allegiance and the broader demands of dharma.
On the battlefield, Prativindhya stands at the front. Aśvatthāman, acting to uphold Droṇa’s prestige, confronts him and halts his advance by striking and obstructing him with arrows.