Shloka 3
शल्य–युधिष्ठिरयुद्धप्रारम्भः
Commencement of the Śalya–Yudhiṣṭhira Duel
राजा च पार्षतं विद्ध्वा शरै: पञठ्चभिराशुगै: । द्रोणहन्तारमुग्रेषुं पुनर्विव्याध सप्तभि:,राजा दुर्योधनने पाँच शीघ्रगामी बाणोंद्वारा भयंकर बाणवाले द्रोणहन्ता धृष्टद्युम्नको बींधकर पुन: सात बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें घायल कर दिया
rājā ca pārṣataṁ viddhvā śaraiḥ pañcabhir āśugaiḥ | droṇahantāram ugra-eṣuṁ punar vivyādha saptabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The king (Duryodhana), having struck the son of Pṛṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) with five swift arrows, again pierced that fierce archer—the slayer of Droṇa—with seven more. The scene underscores the relentless escalation of violence in battle, where personal enmity and the drive for victory repeatedly override restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how warfare intensifies through repeated retaliation: once a foe is struck, the impulse is to strike again and harder. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring warning that anger, rivalry, and the thirst for victory can eclipse restraint and deepen collective ruin.
Sañjaya reports that Duryodhana first hits Dhṛṣṭadyumna (called ‘Pārṣata’) with five swift arrows, then wounds him again with seven more. Dhṛṣṭadyumna is identified pointedly as ‘Droṇahantā,’ the killer of Droṇa, marking him as a charged target in the battle.