Shloka 19
द्रोण–सात्यकि द्वैरथम्
Droṇa and Sātyaki: The Chariot Duel
कम्पमानो ज्वरेणेव नि:श्वसंश्व मुहुर्महु: । पार्णिं पाणौ विनिष्थिष्य श्वसमानो<घश्रुनेत्रवान्
kampamāno jvareṇeva niḥśvasaṁś ca muhur muhuḥ | pārṇiṁ pāṇau viniṣṭhiṣya śvasamāno ’śrunetravān ||
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Trembling as if seized by fever, and again and again breathing heavily, he placed the bow in his hand; panting, with eyes filled with tears.”
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a dharma-yuddha, inner turmoil and compassion can arise; the verse highlights the ethical weight of violence and the human cost borne by those who must act according to kṣatriya-duty.
Yudhiṣṭhira describes a warrior’s visible distress—trembling, gasping, and tearful—yet still taking up the bow, showing the tension between grief and the necessity to continue fighting.