Shloka 65
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna
नानाविधैश्न शस्त्रौधै: पात्यमानैर्महारणे । न संधि: शक््यते भेत्तुं वर्मबन्धस्य तस्य तु
nānāvidhaiś ca śastraughaiḥ pātyamānaiḥ mahāraṇe | na sandhiḥ śakyate bhettuṁ varmabandhasya tasya tu ||
Śarva said: “In that great battle, though showers of many kinds of weapons were being hurled down, the joint—the vulnerable seam—of that man’s armour-fastening could not be broken.”
शर्व उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime truth: overwhelming attack does not guarantee success if the opponent’s protection has no exposed ‘seam’ (sandhi). It points to the ethical and strategic dimension of combat—victory depends not only on force but on discerning vulnerability and acting with skill.
Śarva describes a scene in the great battle where numerous weapons are rained upon a particular warrior, yet the critical joint of his armour-fastening remains unbroken, implying that the warrior is effectively shielded and difficult to wound.