Mahabharata 7.97.22 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 97, Shloka 22
शैनेयचरितम्
The Exploits of Śaineya/Sātyaki amid Encirclement
संघट्टयति सैन्यानि द्रोणस्तु रथिनां वर: । व्यधमच्चापि तान्यस्य धृष्टद्युम्नो महारथ:
saṅghaṭṭayati sainyāni droṇas tu rathināṃ varaḥ | vyadhamac cāpi tāny asya dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārathaḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: Droṇa, der Vortrefflichste unter den Wagenkämpfern, ordnete seine Truppen immer wieder neu und drängte sie in geschlossene Formation; doch Dhṛṣṭadyumna, ein großer Wagenheld, zerschlug und zerstreute eben diese Scharen unablässig.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the highest skill in imposing order (Drona’s regrouping) can be met by equally formidable force that disrupts it (Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s breaking of formations). The verse underscores the instability of power in war and the ethical tension of duty performed through violence.
On the battlefield, Drona repeatedly consolidates his forces into organized formations, while Dhṛṣṭadyumna repeatedly attacks and disperses those formations, preventing Drona’s army from maintaining cohesion.
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