Shloka 53
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
सूतमश्चांश्व चतुरो निहत्याभ्यद्रवद् रणे । महाराज! तदनन्तर द्रोणकुमारने महामना धृष्टद्युम्नके ध्वज, धनुष, छत्र, दोनों पाश्वरक्षक, सारथि तथा चारों घोड़ोंको नष्ट करके उस युद्धमें बड़े वेगसे धावा किया ।। ५२ हे || पज्चालां श्वैव तान् सर्वान् बाणै: संनतपर्वभि:
sañjaya uvāca | sūtam aśvāṃś ca caturo nihatya abhyadravad raṇe | mahārāja! tad-anantaraṃ droṇa-kumāraḥ mahāmanā dhṛṣṭadyumnasya dhvajaṃ dhanuḥ chatraṃ ubhau pārśvarakṣakau sārathiṃ tathā caturo 'śvān api nāśayitvā tasmin yuddhe mahāvegena dhāvata || (52) || pañcālāṃś caiva tān sarvān bāṇaiḥ saṃnata-parvabhiḥ || (53)
Sañjaya said: Having slain the charioteer and the four horses, he rushed forward in the battle. O King, thereafter the high-souled son of Droṇa, striking with great speed, destroyed Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s banner, bow, parasol, both flank-guards, and charioteer, and also brought down the four horses. Then, with arrows whose joints were well-tempered, he assailed all those Pāñcālas.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how war magnifies skill into systematic destruction: the opponent’s mobility and symbols (horses, charioteer, banner, bow, parasol) are targeted first. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—kṣatriya prowess and duty in battle can coexist with a grim, dehumanizing momentum that steadily strips away protection and dignity.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā charges in battle after killing the charioteer and four horses, then disables Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s chariot by destroying its key components and attendants, and proceeds to strike the Pāñcāla forces with well-made arrows.