Shloka 34
सात्यकिं प्रेक्ष्य गोप्तारं पाउ्चाल्यं च महाहवे । शराणां त्वरितो द्रोण: षड्विंशत्या समार्पयत्,उस महासमरमें सात्यकि धृष्टद्युम्नके रक्षक हो गये, यह देखकर द्रोणाचार्यने तुरंत ही उनपर छब्बीस बाणोंसे प्रहार किया
sātyakiṃ prekṣya goptāraṃ pāñcālyaṃ ca mahāhave | śarāṇāṃ tvarito droṇaḥ ṣaḍviṃśatyā samārpayat ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Sātyaki acting as the protector of the Pāñcāla prince in that great battle, Droṇa, swift to respond, struck him at once with twenty-six arrows—meeting guardianship with immediate, measured force amid the ethics of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield dharma as immediate responsibility: protection invites counter-action, and a commander responds swiftly to shifts in defense. It frames combat as a contest of duty—guarding an ally and neutralizing that guard—rather than personal hatred.
Sātyaki positions himself as the defender of the Pāñcāla prince (Dhṛṣṭadyumna). Observing this, Droṇa quickly targets Sātyaki and strikes him with a volley of twenty-six arrows to break that protective screen.