Shloka 21
Droṇa’s Renewed Advance toward Yudhiṣṭhira; Fall of Satyajit and Allied Recoil (द्रोणस्य युधिष्ठिरप्रेप्सा—सत्यजितः पतनम्)
अजय्यमरिभि: संख्ये पार्षतं वाक्यमब्रवीत् । ब्राह्मणस्य वशं नाहमियामद्य यथा प्रभो | पारावतसवर्णाश्व तथा नीतिर्विधीयताम्
ajayyam aribhiḥ saṅkhye pārṣataṁ vākyam abravīt | brāhmaṇasya vaśaṁ nāham iyām adya yathā prabho | pārāvata-savarṇāśva tathā nītir vidhīyatām ||
Sañjaya said: In the press of battle, the Pārṣata—whom enemies could not overcome—spoke these words: “O lord, today I will not submit to the control of a brāhmaṇa. Let the strategy be arranged accordingly, with horses of dove-like color.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a tension between traditional brāhmaṇical authority and a warrior’s insistence on independent agency in crisis. Ethically, it raises the question of when (or whether) social-religious deference should yield to battlefield necessity and personal resolve, and how pride can shape strategic decisions.
During the fighting, the Pārṣata (typically identified as Dhṛṣṭadyumna) makes a forceful declaration that he will not be under a brāhmaṇa’s control that day, and instructs that the battle plan be set accordingly, specifying the use of dove-colored horses—an operational detail signaling immediate tactical preparation.