Shloka 34
द्रोणपर्व — द्विनवति-तमोऽध्यायः
Sātyaki Pressed by Kauravas; Duryodhana and Kṛtavarmā Engagements
ततो दुःशासनस्त्रस्त: सहानीक: शरार्दित: | द्रोणं त्रातारमाकाड्क्षन् शकटब्यूहमभ्यगात्,तब अर्जुनके बाणोंसे अत्यन्त पीड़ित और भयभीत हो सेनाओंसहित दु:ःशासन अपने रक्षक द्रोणाचार्यके आश्रयमें जानेकी इच्छा रखकर शकटबव्यूहके भीतर घुस गया
sañjaya uvāca |
tato duḥśāsanas trastaḥ sahānīkaḥ śarārditaḥ |
droṇaṃ trātāram ākāṅkṣan śakaṭavyūham abhyagāt ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors Duḥśāsana—terrifié, avec ses troupes, et tourmenté par les flèches—désirant Droṇa pour protecteur, entra dans la formation de combat Śakaṭa (en forme de charrette).
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a recurring wartime ethic in the Mahābhārata: when courage falters under suffering, one seeks refuge in a capable protector and in disciplined order (vyūha). It also implies that reliance on strength and strategy cannot erase the consequences of one’s prior choices; fear and dependence arise naturally amid adharma-driven conflict.
Duḥśāsana, badly hurt by arrows and shaken, withdraws with his troops and moves into the Śakaṭavyūha, intending to take shelter under Droṇa’s protection—treating Droṇa as the immediate safeguard against the enemy’s pressure.