Shloka 22
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
ते समेत्य नरव्यात्रा भारद्वाजं महारथम् | अभ्यवर्षन् शरैस्तीक्ष्पै: कड्कबर्हिणवाजितै:,वे मनुष्योंमें व्याप्रके समान पराक्रमी सैनिक महारथी द्रोणाचार्यके पास जाकर कंक और मोरके पंखोंसे युक्त तीखे बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगे
te sametya naravyāghrā bhāradvājaṁ mahāratham | abhyavarṣan śarais tīkṣṇaiḥ kaṅkabārhiṇavājitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Those tiger-like men, having gathered together, advanced upon Bhāradvāja’s great chariot-warrior (Droṇa) and showered him with sharp arrows, their shafts adorned with the feathers of herons and peacocks.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethical tension of war: even a revered teacher and foremost warrior like Droṇa becomes the target of coordinated violence. It reflects how, in the battlefield’s logic, collective strategy and relentless attack can override personal reverence, revealing the tragic cost of dharma contested through arms.
A group of heroic warriors assemble and move against Droṇa, described as Bhāradvāja’s great chariot-warrior, and they shower him with sharp arrows whose shafts are decorated with heron and peacock feathers.