द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
प्रमुखे पाण्डुपुत्राणां धृष्टद्युम्नस्य च प्रभो । प्रभो! द्रोणकुमारने उनके उन बाणोंको नष्ट करके उनमेंसे दस वीरोंको पाण्डवों और धृष्टद्युम्नके सामने ही मार गिराया
pramukhe pāṇḍuputrāṇāṃ dhṛṣṭadyumnasya ca prabho | prabho! droṇakumāraḥ tān bāṇān vidhvaṃsya teṣāṃ madhyāt daśa vīrān pāṇḍavaiḥ saha dhṛṣṭadyumnasya ca purata eva nipātayām āsa |
Sañjaya berkata: “Wahai tuanku, di hadapan para putra Pāṇḍu yang terkemuka dan tepat di depan Dhṛṣṭadyumna, putra Droṇa menghancurkan anak-anak panah itu, lalu dari antara mereka menumbangkan sepuluh kesatria—tewas di depan mata Pāṇḍawa dan Dhṛṣṭadyumna.”
संजय उवाच
The verse highlights how prowess in war can decisively alter outcomes in an instant, while also underscoring the ethical weight of violence: public, witnessed killing becomes a force that shapes morale, fear, and the unfolding consequences of adharma and retaliation in the wider narrative.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) neutralizes incoming arrows and then, in the very sight of the Pāṇḍavas and Dhṛṣṭadyumna, slays ten warriors—an emphatic display of battlefield dominance.