Shloka 453
Sātyaki-praveśaḥ and Duryodhana-saṃnipātaḥ
Sātyaki’s passage and Duryodhana’s mass engagement
अस्त्रैरस्त्रविदां श्रेष्ठी योधयामास भारत | भारत! तत्पश्चात् अस्त्रवेत्ताओंमें श्रेष्ठ क्षत्रियसंहारक द्रोणाचार्यने दूसरा धनुष हाथमें लेकर विभिन्न अस्त्रोंद्वारा युद्ध आरम्भ किया
sañjaya uvāca | astrair astravidāṃ śreṣṭhī yodhayāmāsa bhārata |
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, the foremost among those skilled in weapons set about fighting with missiles. In the unfolding slaughter of warriors, Droṇācārya—renowned as the greatest master of arms—took up another bow and began the battle anew, deploying diverse astras with relentless efficacy, underscoring how expertise in war can become an instrument of vast destruction when dharma collapses into mere victory-seeking.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension of martial expertise: mastery of astras is admirable as knowledge, yet in adharma-driven conflict it becomes a means of mass harm. It invites reflection on how skill must be governed by dharma, restraint, and right purpose.
Sañjaya reports that the foremost weapon-master (understood in context as Droṇa) resumes or intensifies the fighting by employing various astras, taking up another bow and launching a renewed, deadly phase of battle.