Shloka 34
Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
द्रौणि: पाज्चालराजं च भारद्वाजश्च सूंजयान् । छादयांचक्रतु: संख्ये शरै: संनतपर्वभि:,अश्वत्थामाने पांचालराज द्रुपदको और द्रोणाचार्यने सूंजयोंको युद्धस्थलमें झुकी हुई गाँठवाले बाणोंद्वारा आच्छादित कर दिया
drauṇiḥ pāñcālarājaṃ ca bhāradvājaś ca sūñjayān | chādayāṃ cakratuḥ saṅkhye śaraiḥ sannatapārvabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: In the thick of battle, Aśvatthāman (son of Droṇa) and Droṇa Bhāradvāja together covered the king of the Pāñcālas and the Sṛñjayas with volleys of arrows whose joints were bent—an image of relentless martial pressure, showing how in war prowess and fury can eclipse restraint and compassion.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how battlefield skill and wrath can rapidly intensify violence; it implicitly invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty versus the ethical cost of overwhelming force, a recurring Mahābhārata tension between valor and restraint.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāman and Droṇa jointly unleash a dense shower of arrows, effectively blanketing Drupada (king of the Pāñcālas) and the Sṛñjaya fighters during the fight.