Shloka 7
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
ततः सुबलदायादं कालिकेयमपोथयत् | जघान चास्यानुचरान् गान्धारान् सप्तसप्ततिम्,तदनन्तर उसने सुबलपुत्र कालिकेयको मार गिराया और उसके पीछे चलनेवाले सतहत्तर गान्धारोंका भी संहार कर डाला
tataḥ subaladāyādaṃ kālikeyam apothayat | jaghāna cāsyānucarān gāndhārān saptasaptatim |
Sañjaya said: Then he struck down Kālikeya, the descendant of Subala; and thereafter he also slew Kālikeya’s followers—seventy-seven warriors of Gandhāra—while the battle’s momentum surged without pause.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the Mahābhārata’s war ethic, combat unfolds through duty-bound action: warriors are identified by lineage and allegiance, and the narrative stresses the cascading consequences of battle—when a leader falls, his retinue is also destroyed.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior (implied by context) strikes down Kālikeya, described as Subala’s descendant, and then kills Kālikeya’s accompanying followers—seventy-seven Gandhāra fighters.