Mahabharata 7.16.20 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 16, Shloka 20
Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)
तमाविध्यच्छितैर्बाणै: कड़कपन्रैर्युधिष्िर: । तस्य द्रोणो धनुश्कछित्त्वा तं द्रुतं समुपाद्रवत्
tam āvidhyac chita-bāṇaiḥ kaḍakaparṇair yudhiṣṭhiraḥ | tasya droṇo dhanuś chittvā taṃ drutaṃ samupādravat ||
Sañjaya dijo: Yudhiṣṭhira hirió a Droṇācārya con flechas agudas, emplumadas como alas de buitre. Droṇa entonces cercenó el arco de Yudhiṣṭhira y se abalanzó sobre él con presteza. El episodio revela la áspera ética de la guerra: aun el maestro venerado y el rey justo se ven forzados a responder con fuerza, destreza y firmeza cuando el dharma se disputa en el campo de batalla.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh dharma of war: personal reverence (toward a teacher like Droṇa) does not suspend a kṣatriya’s obligation to fight when justice and survival are at stake; skill and decisiveness become moral necessities in a righteous conflict.
Yudhiṣṭhira strikes Droṇa with sharp, well-feathered arrows. Droṇa responds tactically by cutting Yudhiṣṭhira’s bow and immediately charging him, shifting the encounter from ranged exchange to direct pressure.
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