Shloka 323
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
छादयामास बाणौघचै: समन्ताल्लघुहस्तवत् । शत्रुवीरोंका संहार करनेवाले अश्वात्थामाने ऐसा कहकर शीघ्रतापूर्वक हाथ चलानेवाले कुशल योद्धाकी भाँति अपने बलसमूहोंद्वारा धृष्टद्यममको सब ओरसे आच्छादित कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca | chādayāmāsa bāṇaughaiḥ samantāl laghuhastavat | śatruvīrāṇāṃ saṃhārakaraṇe aśvatthāmā evaṃ uktvā śīghratāpūrvakaṃ hastacālanakuśalo yoddheva svabalasaṃghaiḥ dhṛṣṭadyumnam sarvata ācchādayad iti |
Sañjaya said: Having spoken thus, Aśvatthāman—intent on the destruction of enemy champions and swift-handed like a master of arms—covered Dhṛṣṭadyumna on every side with a dense shower of arrows.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial competence—speed, precision, and tactical pressure—can serve destructive ends when driven by vengeance and the logic of total war. It implicitly invites reflection on the ethical cost of turning skill into an instrument of annihilation.
Sanjaya reports that Ashvatthama, after declaring his intent, rapidly unleashes volleys of arrows and surrounds Dhrishtadyumna from all directions, effectively smothering him under missile-fire in the ongoing battle of the Drona Parva.