Shloka 17
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
तथैव द्रुपदो राजा द्रोणं विद्ध्वा शितै: शरै: । पुनर्विव्याध सप्तत्या सारथिं चास्थ पञ्चभि:
tathaiva drupado rājā droṇaṁ viddhvā śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | punar vivyādha saptatyā sārathiṁ cāṣṭa pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya dit : De même, le roi Drupada, après avoir frappé Droṇa de flèches acérées, le perça de nouveau de soixante-dix autres ; et de cinq flèches il blessa aussi grièvement le cocher de Droṇa.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield expression of kṣatriya-duty: sustained, strategic aggression against a formidable opponent. Ethically, it reflects how, once war is joined, the narrative often portrays duty as effectiveness in combat rather than personal restraint, even extending to disabling an enemy’s support (the charioteer).
Sañjaya reports that Drupada first strikes Droṇa with sharp arrows and then intensifies the assault by hitting him with seventy more arrows. Drupada also wounds Droṇa’s charioteer with five arrows, aiming to weaken Droṇa’s mobility and battlefield advantage.