Shloka 56
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
अशीत्या क्षत्रवर्माणं षड्विंशत्या सुदक्षिणम् । क्षत्रदेव॑ तु भल्लेन रथनीडादपातयत्,तत्पश्चात् क्षत्रवर्माको अस्सी और सुदक्षिणको छब्बीस बाणोंसे आहत करके क्षत्रदेवको भल्लसे घायलकर रथकी बैठकसे नीचे गिरा दिया
aśītyā kṣatravarmāṇaṃ ṣaḍviṃśatyā sudakṣiṇam | kṣatradevaṃ tu bhallena rathanīḍād apātayat |
Sañjaya dit : De quatre-vingts flèches il frappa Kṣatravarman, et de vingt-six il frappa Sudakṣiṇa. Puis, d’une flèche bhalla acérée, il blessa Kṣatradeva et le précipita du siège de son char.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethic of the battlefield: measured prowess and decisive action can instantly overturn a warrior’s standing. It implicitly reflects kṣatriya-dharma in war—skill, resolve, and the acceptance that honor and life can change in a moment.
Sañjaya reports a combat episode in which a warrior strikes Kṣatravarman with eighty arrows, Sudakṣiṇa with twenty-six, and then uses a bhalla-arrow to wound Kṣatradeva and knock him down from the chariot-seat.