Shloka 50
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणाभिमुख्यं तथा सात्यकि-कर्ण-समागमः
Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s advance toward Droṇa and the Sātyaki–Karṇa confrontation
निहतं पाण्डुपुत्रेण प्रसक्त भूरिदक्षिणम् इयेष सात्यकिह्न्तुं शलाग्रजमकल्मषम्
nihataṃ pāṇḍuputreṇa prasakta-bhūridakṣiṇam iyeṣa sātyaki-hantuṃ śalāgrajam akalmaṣam
Sañjaya said: “When Bhūridakṣiṇa—deeply engaged in the fight—was slain by a son of Pāṇḍu, Śalā’s elder brother, the blameless warrior, resolved to kill Sātyaki.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, personal bonds and clan loyalty often convert loss into a vow of revenge, perpetuating violence. It implicitly warns that even ‘blameless’ warriors can be drawn into ethically fraught cycles of retaliation when dharma is pressured by grief and duty.
Sañjaya reports that Bhūridakṣiṇa has been killed by a Pāṇḍava. In response, Śalā’s elder brother (described as akalmaṣa) forms the intention to kill Sātyaki, escalating the conflict through a retaliatory resolve.