Shloka 453
चिच्छेद धनुषस्तूर्ण ज्यां शरेण शितेन ह । महाराज! उधर धृष्टद्युम्नने तीन बाणोंसे द्रोणाचार्यको बींधकर तुरंत ही तीखे बाणसे उनके धनुषकी प्रत्यंचा काट डाली
ciccheda dhanuṣas tūrṇaṁ jyāṁ śareṇa śitena ha | mahārāja, udhar dhṛṣṭadyumnena trīn bāṇaiḥ droṇācāryaṁ vidhya tatkṣaṇam eva tīvreṇa śareṇa tasya dhanuṣo jyā cicchide ||
Sañjaya said: O King, Dṛṣṭadyumna swiftly struck Droṇācārya with three arrows and, in that same instant, with a keen shaft severed the bowstring of his bow. In the war’s moral tension, the deed shows tactical urgency—disarming a formidable teacher-warrior to check further slaughter—yet it also lays bare the tragic necessity of violence when dharma is contested on the battlefield.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of restraining a dangerous opponent by disarming rather than merely trading blows. It reflects the grim dharmic complexity of Kurukṣetra: decisive action is taken to prevent greater harm, even when directed against a revered teacher-warrior.
Sañjaya reports that Dṛṣṭadyumna first wounds Droṇa with three arrows and then immediately cuts Droṇa’s bowstring with a sharp arrow, temporarily disabling Droṇa’s ability to shoot.