Mahabharata 7.21.62 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 62
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
सात्यकिं चेकितानं च धृष्टद्युम्मशिखण्डिनौ । वार्थक्षेमिं चैत्रसेनिं सेनाबिन्दुं सुवर्चसम्
sātyakiṃ cekitānaṃ ca dhṛṣṭadyumnam śikhaṇḍinau | vārthakṣemiṃ caitraseniṃ senābinduṃ suvarcasam ||
Sañjaya dit : Au plus fort de la bataille, Droṇācārya—bien qu’entouré par les Kaurava—triompha de Sātyaki, Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭadyumna et Śikhaṇḍin, ainsi que de Vārthakṣemi, du fils de Citraseṇa, de Senābindu, de Suvarcas et de bien d’autres rois venus de contrées diverses. Le passage souligne l’élan funeste de la guerre : prouesse et stratégie peuvent dompter même des héros illustres, tandis que s’exacerbe la tension éthique de combattre sous des fidélités contestées.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: even celebrated heroes can be checked by superior command and circumstance. Ethically, it points to the tension within kṣatriya-dharma—valor and duty operate within a tragic field where victory does not necessarily resolve righteousness, but intensifies the moral weight of continued fighting.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, supported and surrounded by the Kaurava formation, overpowers a list of major Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Sātyaki, Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍin, and others—along with many kings from different regions, indicating Droṇa’s dominance in that phase of the battle.
Ask anything about this verse
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.