Shloka 4
Droṇa-pātana-paripṛcchā (Inquiry into the Fall of Droṇa) | द्रोणपातनपरिपृच्छा
यह सुनकर वहाँ अर्जुन और सेवकोंसहित धृष्टद्युम्नने द्रोणाचार्यको रोका। फिर तो सभी महारथी उनपर टूट पड़े ।। केकया भीमसेनश्न सौभद्रो5थ घटोत्कच: । युधिष्ठिरो यमौ मत्स्या द्रुपदस्यात्मजास्तथा,राजन! केकयराजकुमार, भीमसेन, अभिमन्यु, घटोत्कच, युधिष्ठिर, नकुल-सहदेव, मत्स्यदेशीय सैनिक, द्रुपदके सभी पुत्र, हर्ष और उत्साहमें भरे हुए द्रौपदीके पाँचों पुत्र, धृष्टकेतु, सात्यकि, कुपित चेकितान और महारथी युयुत्सु--ये तथा और भी जो भूमिपाल पाण्डुपुत्र युधिष्ठिरके अनुयायी थे, वे सब अपने कुल और पराक्रमके अनुकूल अनेक प्रकारके वीरोचित कार्य करने लगे
sañjaya uvāca | kekayā bhīmasenaś ca saubhadro ’tha ghaṭotkacaḥ | yudhiṣṭhiro yamau matsyā drupadasyātmajās tathā ||
Sañjaya said: Hearing this, Arjuna and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, with their attendants, checked Droṇa there; then all the great chariot-warriors fell upon him. The Kekayas, Bhīmasena, Abhimanyu (son of Subhadrā), and Ghaṭotkaca; Yudhiṣṭhira, the twins (Nakula and Sahadeva), the Matsya warriors, and the sons of Drupada as well—these champions, true to their lineage and prowess, surged into action and began performing many deeds befitting heroes in the thick of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights kṣatriya-ethics in wartime: warriors are expected to act in ways consistent with their lineage, training, and pledged alliances—courage, coordinated effort, and steadfastness amid danger—while the larger epic continues to question the human cost of such duty.
Sañjaya lists key Pāṇḍava-aligned heroes and allied contingents who press forward together in the battle, indicating a concentrated counter-movement of major fighters and supporting forces during the Drona Parva fighting.