Shloka 24
Somadatta–Sātyaki Engagement; Bhīma’s Interventions; Droṇa–Yudhiṣṭhira Astra Exchange
Book 7, Chapter 132
इहैव त्वहमासिष्ये प्रेषयिष्यामि चापरान् | निरोत्स्यामि च पञ्चालान् सहितान् पाण्डुसृञ्जयै:,मैं तो यहीं रहूँगा और तुम्हारे पास दूसरे-दूसरे रक्षकोंको भेजता रहूँगा। साथ ही पाण्डवों तथा सूंजयोंसहित आये हुए पांचालोंको व्यूहके भीतर जानेसे रोकूँगा
ihaiva tv aham āsiṣye preṣayiṣyāmi cāparān | nirots yāmi ca pañcālān sahitān pāṇḍusṛñjayaiḥ ||
Droṇa said: “I shall remain right here and will dispatch other guards as well. And I will prevent the Pañcālas—who have come together with the Pāṇḍus and the Sṛñjayas—from entering into the battle-array.”
द्रोण उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a commander’s dharma in war: to hold one’s post, delegate protection to others, and use restraint and positioning to control enemy movement—strategy framed as disciplined duty rather than impulsive aggression.
Droṇa declares his tactical decision: he will stay where he is, send additional defenders elsewhere, and block the Pañcāla forces—arriving with the Pāṇḍavas and Sṛñjayas—from pushing into the formation (vyūha).