Shloka 64
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
रथमावार्य गदया केशवं समताडयत् | भारत! तदनन्तर वीर अम्बष्ठने प्रहार करनेके लिये उद्यत हो गदा उठाये आगे बढ़कर अर्जुनके रथको रोक दिया और भगवान् श्रीकृष्णपर गदासे आघात किया ।। ६३ $ ।। गदया ताडिठतं दृष्टवा केशवं परवीरहा
ratham āvārya gadayā keśavaṁ samatāḍayat | bhārata! tad-anantaraṁ vīraḥ ambaṣṭhena prahāra-karaṇe udhyataḥ san gadām udyamya agre gatvā arjunasya rathaṁ rokayitvā bhagavantaṁ śrīkṛṣṇaṁ gadayā āhatavān || 63 || gadayā tāḍitaṁ dṛṣṭvā keśavaṁ paravīrahā
Sañjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, after that the warrior, intent on striking, lifted his mace, advanced, and checked Arjuna’s chariot; then he struck Keśava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) with the mace. Seeing Keśava struck by the mace, the slayer of enemy-heroes… (the narration continues).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how war can push combatants beyond ordinary restraints, even to the point of attacking a revered charioteer identified with divinity. It invites reflection on dharma in battle: courage and duty must be balanced with limits on cruelty and with reverence for what is sacred, even amid chaos.
A warrior advances with a mace, blocks Arjuna’s chariot, and strikes Keśava (Kṛṣṇa). The next line signals a reaction: upon seeing Keśava struck, the ‘slayer of enemy-heroes’ (contextually Arjuna) is poised to respond as the narration continues.