Shloka 64
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
विव्याध समरे द्रोणं धृष्टद्युम्नो महारथ: । द्रोणश्वापि महाराज शरैरविव्याध पार्षतम्,महाबली और पराक्रमी धृष्टद्युम्न उन बहुसंख्यक बाणोंद्वारा घायल होकर अपना वेग भंग हो जानेके कारण उस रथसे कूद पड़े और पुनः: अपने रथपर आरूढ़ हो वे वीर महारथी धष्टद्यम्न महान् धनुष हाथमें लेकर समरांगणमें द्रोणाचार्यको वेधने लगे। महाराज! द्रोणाचार्यने भी अपने बाणोंद्वारा ट्रुपदपुत्रको घायल कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | vivyādha samare droṇaṃ dhṛṣṭadyumno mahārathaḥ | droṇaś cāpi mahārāja śarair avivyādha pārṣatam ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, the great chariot-warrior Dhṛṣṭadyumna pierced Droṇa with his arrows. Droṇa too, O great king, struck Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the son of Pṛṣat/Drupada) with volleys of shafts.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh symmetry of battlefield duty: warriors respond to attack with counterattack, constrained by kṣatriya-dharma and the momentum of conflict. It also foreshadows the moral tension of fighting revered figures like Droṇa, where personal bonds and ethical unease are overridden by wartime roles and vows.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna strikes Droṇa with arrows during the battle, and Droṇa immediately retaliates by wounding Dhṛṣṭadyumna (called Pārṣata). It is a direct exchange of missile attacks between two principal champions on opposing sides.