Shloka 16
दुःशासननिग्रहः—द्रोणधृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धप्रसङ्गः
Rebuke of Duḥśāsana; Context of the Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna Combat
समाश्वस्तस्तु वार्ष्णेयस्तव पुत्र महारथम् | विव्याध दशभिस्तूर्ण सायकै: कड्कपत्रिभि:,थोड़ी देरमें स्वस्थ होनेपर सात्यकिने आपके महारथी पुत्र दुःशासनको कंककी पाँखवाले दस बाणोंद्वारा तुरंत ही घायल कर दिया
samāśvastas tu vārṣṇeyas tava putra-mahāratham | vivyādha daśabhis tūrṇaṃ sāyakaiḥ kaṅkapatribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Regaining his composure, the Vārṣṇeya warrior Sātyaki swiftly pierced your son—the great chariot-fighter Duḥśāsana—with ten arrows, feathered with heron-plumes.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic where regained composure (steadiness of mind) is immediately converted into effective action. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s moral tension: martial excellence and duty-driven aggression can coexist with the tragedy of escalating violence.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki, after recovering from a moment of distress or setback, promptly shoots and wounds Duḥśāsana—Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s son and a leading Kaurava warrior—with ten heron-feathered arrows.