Shloka 4
द्रोण–धृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धवर्णनम्
Drona–Dhrishtadyumna Battle Description
क्षत्रियाणां चतु:ःषष्टिमयुतानि सहस्रश: । तदा मृत्यो: समेतानि एकेन धनुषाजयत्,उस समय मरने-मारनेका निश्चय करके एकत्र हुए चौसठ करोड़ क्षत्रियोंको उन्होंने एकमात्र धनुषके द्वारा जीत लिया
kṣatriyāṇāṃ catuḥṣaṣṭim ayutāni sahasraśaḥ | tadā mṛtyoḥ sametāni ekena dhanuṣā ajayat ||
Narada said: “Sixty-four ayutas of Kshatriyas—counted in thousands—had assembled then with a settled resolve to kill and be killed. Yet he overcame that mass of warriors by the power of a single bow.”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the terrifying scale of war and the human willingness to embrace death for victory, while also pointing to how a single exceptional agent (symbolized by ‘one bow’) can overturn vast numbers—inviting reflection on the moral weight of martial power and the tragic cost of mass violence.
Nārada describes a moment when an immense host of Kṣatriyas gathers, resolved upon mutual slaughter, but is nevertheless defeated by one warrior’s mastery of the bow—emphasizing both the magnitude of the conflict and the decisive impact of extraordinary archery.