Shloka 5

Saubhadra under Concentrated Assault; Pārṣata’s Intervention and Escalation

Devanagari script

द्रोणस्तु निशितैर्बाणैर्धष्टद्युम्ममविध्यत । सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन रथनीडादपातयत्‌

Transliteration

droṇas tu niśitair bāṇair dhṛṣṭadyumnam avidhyat | sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena rathanīḍād apātayat |

Translation

Sañjaya said: Droṇa, with his razor-sharp arrows, struck Dhṛṣṭadyumna and wounded him; and with a bhalla-arrow he slew Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s charioteer, casting him down from the chariot-seat.

Word by Word

• द्रोणः: Drona
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• निशितैः: with sharp
• निशितैः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: निशित
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• बाणैः: arrows
• बाणैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: बाण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• धृष्टद्युम्नम्: Dhrishtadyumna
• धृष्टद्युम्नम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टद्युम्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अविध्यत: pierced/wounded
• Type: Verb
• Root: व्यध् (विध्)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सारथिम्: charioteer
• सारथिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सारथि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• अस्य: of him (his)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: इदम् (अदस्-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Genitive, Singular

• भल्लेन: with a bhalla-arrow
• भल्लेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: भल्ल
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• रथनीडात्: from the chariot-seat
• रथनीडात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: रथनीड
• Form: Neuter, Ablative, Singular

• अपातयत्: caused to fall / knocked down
• Type: Verb
• Root: पत् (पातयति-णिच्)
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada, Yes (ṇic)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• sārathi (charioteer)
• bāṇa (arrows)
• bhalla (arrow/weapon)
• ratha (chariot)
• rathanīḍa (chariot-seat)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the grim ethical tension of war: martial excellence and tactical necessity can demand lethal actions even against non-royal combatants like charioteers, reminding readers that battlefield dharma operates within a harsh, consequential reality.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa wounds Dhṛṣṭadyumna with sharp arrows and then kills Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s charioteer with a bhalla-arrow, knocking him from the chariot-seat, thereby weakening Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s immediate fighting capacity.