Shloka 16
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system
स तु द्रौणिं त्रिसप्तत्या हेमपुड्खैरजिद्ागै: । प्रत्यविध्यन्महातेजा बलवानपकारिणम्,महातेजस्वी बलवान् अभिमन्युने सुवर्णमय पंखसे युक्त तिहत्तर बाणोंद्वारा अपने अपकारी अभश्र॒ृत्थामाको पुन: घायल कर दिया
sa tu drauṇiṁ trisaptatyā hemapuṅkhair ajidgaiḥ | pratyavidhyan mahātejā balavān apakāriṇam ||
Sañjaya said: Then Abhimanyu, mighty and radiant with power, pierced Droṇa’s son again with seventy-three arrows whose shafts were fitted with golden feathers, striking the offender who had harmed him.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the Mahābhārata’s war-ethic where injury invites immediate counter-injury; it highlights how kṣatriya duty in battle can normalize retaliation, while implicitly showing the moral cost of escalating violence.
Sañjaya narrates that a powerful warrior strikes Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāmā) again, piercing him with seventy-three arrows adorned with golden fletching, as a retaliatory act against one who had harmed him.