Shloka 16
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system
स तु द्रौणिं त्रिसप्तत्या हेमपुड्खैरजिद्ागै: । प्रत्यविध्यन्महातेजा बलवानपकारिणम्,महातेजस्वी बलवान् अभिमन्युने सुवर्णमय पंखसे युक्त तिहत्तर बाणोंद्वारा अपने अपकारी अभश्र॒ृत्थामाको पुन: घायल कर दिया
sa tu drauṇiṁ trisaptatyā hemapuṅkhair ajidgaiḥ | pratyavidhyan mahātejā balavān apakāriṇam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Darauf durchbohrte Abhimanyu, mächtig und von großer Strahlkraft, Droṇas Sohn abermals mit dreiundsiebzig Pfeilen, deren Schäfte mit goldenen Federn versehen waren, und traf den Täter, der ihm Schaden zugefügt hatte.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic where injury invites immediate counter-injury; it highlights how kṣatriya duty in battle can normalize retaliation, while implicitly showing the moral cost of escalating violence.
Sañjaya narrates that a powerful warrior strikes Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā) again, piercing him with seventy-three arrows adorned with golden fletching, as a retaliatory act against one who had harmed him.