Mahabharata 7.21.20 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 20
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
इस प्रकार श्रीमह्ाभारत द्रोणपर्वके अन्तर्गत संशप्तकवधपर्वमें संकुलयुद्धाविषयक बीसवाँ अध्याय पूरा हुआ
sañjaya uvāca | saṃchidyamāneṣu kārmukeṣu punaḥ punaḥ | pāñcālyaḥ paramāstrajñaḥ śoṇāśvaṃ samayodhayat ||
Sañjaya dit : À maintes reprises, alors même que ses arcs étaient tranchés en morceaux, le guerrier des Pāñcālas—maître suprême de la science des armes—continua d’affronter Śoṇāśva (Droṇācārya, le cavalier au cheval rouge). La scène met en lumière une résolution inébranlable au cœur de la mécanique brutale de la guerre : l’adresse et la persévérance sont éprouvées non seulement par la force de l’ennemi, mais par la perte répétée de ses propres moyens et le refus de céder.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights steadfastness under repeated setbacks: even when one’s instruments and advantages are repeatedly destroyed, disciplined skill (āstrajñatā) and resolve can sustain one’s duty in a harsh moral landscape like war.
Sañjaya reports that the Pāñcāla hero (identified in the Gītā Press note as Satyajit) keeps fighting Droṇa—called Śoṇāśva—despite his bows being cut again and again, indicating an intense, close contest where weapons are repeatedly broken.
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