Shloka 196
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
अन्योन्यं शरवर्षाभ्यां ववृषाते रणाजिरे । वे दोनों नरश्रेष्ठ महाबली वीर कुरुकुलके प्रधान व्यक्ति थे। उन्होंने समरांगणमें एक- दूसरेपर बाणोंकी वर्षा आरम्भ कर दी
anyonyam śaravarṣābhyāṃ vavṛṣāte raṇājire |
Sañjaya said: On the battlefield, the two warriors showered each other with volleys of arrows. Both were foremost heroes of the Kuru line, mighty and eminent, and in the arena of war they began to rain shafts upon one another.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Kṣatriya ideal of meeting an opponent directly and courageously in battle; ethically, it frames warfare as a disciplined contest of duty and prowess rather than mere chaos, even while it remains part of a tragic, larger conflict.
Sañjaya describes two leading warriors engaging each other on the battlefield, exchanging intense volleys of arrows—an escalation into a focused duel amid the wider war.