Shloka 34
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
सात्यकिं दशभिर्बाणैविशत्या पार्षतं शरै:
sātyakiṃ daśabhir bāṇaiḥ viṃśatyā pārṣataṃ śaraiḥ
Sañjaya said: With ten arrows he struck Sātyaki, and with twenty shafts he struck Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), revealing the battlefield’s relentless precision, where prowess is measured by disciplined aim and endurance, not by anger alone.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of disciplined action in war: effectiveness comes from trained focus and resolve. In the Mahābhārata’s moral landscape, such martial skill is framed within kṣatriya-duty, while also reminding the listener that violence, even when duty-bound, carries grave human cost.
Sañjaya reports a moment in the Drona Parva battle where an unnamed archer (from the immediate context) hits two prominent Pāṇḍava-side warriors—Sātyaki with ten arrows and Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) with twenty—signaling an intense exchange of missile warfare.