Shloka 22
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 107: Karṇa–Bhīma Saṃmarda
Arrow-storm Engagement
सौमदत्ते: पुनर्यूपो यज्ञशीलस्थ धीमतः
saumadatteḥ punaryūpo yajñaśīlastha dhīmataḥ
Sañjaya said: “Again, the sacrificial post (yūpa) belonging to Saumadatti—the wise man steadfast in sacrificial discipline—(is spoken of/comes into view). The line evokes the ethos of Vedic piety amid warfare, recalling how ritual virtue and inherited dharma are remembered even in the violent press of battle.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in the midst of war, the Mahābhārata repeatedly recalls a warrior’s prior dharmic identity—here, devotion to yajña and disciplined conduct—suggesting that ethical reputation and inherited duty remain morally significant beyond the battlefield.
Sañjaya continues his report of the battle events and, in doing so, refers again to Saumadatti and the image of a yūpa (sacrificial post), a marker of ritual life, to characterize him as a wise man grounded in sacrificial discipline.