Shloka 22
Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation
अथान्यद् धनुरादाय धृष्टद्युम्नो महारथ: । द्रोणं युधि पराक्रम्य शरैरविव्याध पञ्चभि:,तब महारथी धृष्टद्युम्नने दूसरा धनुष लेकर युद्धमें पराक्रमपूर्वक पाँच बाण मारकर द्रोणाचार्यको क्षत-विक्षत कर दिया
athānyad dhanur ādāya dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārathaḥ | droṇaṃ yudhi parākramya śarair avivyādha pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then the great chariot-warrior Dhṛṣṭadyumna took up another bow and, advancing with bold prowess in the thick of battle, struck Droṇa with five arrows, wounding him and pressing the assault.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical tension of Kurukṣetra: even venerable figures like Droṇa become targets when one is bound to kṣatriya-duty and the demands of command. Valor and resolve are praised, yet the narrative implicitly invites reflection on the cost of war and the conflict between reverence (for a teacher/elder) and battlefield obligation.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna, described as a mahāratha, takes up another bow and advances against Droṇa in battle, striking him with five arrows. Sañjaya reports this as part of the ongoing combat in Bhīṣma Parva.