Shloka 323
चेदयश्व महेष्वासा द्रोणमेवाभ्ययुर्युधि । प्रजानाथ! तदनन्तर राजा ट्रुपदके तीनों ही पौत्रों तथा चेदिदेशीय महाधनुर्धर योद्धाओंने भी युद्धस्थलमें द्रोणाचार्यपर ही आक्रमण किया
cedayaś ca maheṣvāsā droṇam evābhyayur yudhi | prajānātha tad-anantaraṁ rājā drupadake trayo hi pautrāś ca cedideśīyā mahā-dhanurdharā yoddhāś ca yuddhasthale droṇācāryam eva abhya-krāman |
Sañjaya said: Then the Cedi warriors, mighty archers, advanced in battle against Droṇa alone. O lord of men, immediately thereafter King Drupada’s three grandsons as well, together with the great bowmen from the land of Cedi, launched their assault on Droṇācārya on the battlefield—fixing their aim upon the teacher who stood as the pillar of the Kuru host.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic: when a single leader becomes the decisive support of an army, opponents concentrate force against him, even if he is a revered teacher. It reflects the tension between reverence for a guru and the kṣatriya imperative to neutralize the chief threat in war.
Sanjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the Cedi archers, and then Drupada’s three grandsons along with other Cedi bowmen, collectively advance and attack Droṇācārya on the battlefield, making him the focal target of their assault.