Shloka 35
द्रोणश्न विवरं दृष्टवा भीमसेनं शिलीमुखै: । विव्याध बाणैर्निशितै: पञठचषष्टिभिरायसै:,एकैकं त्रिभिरानर्च्छत् कड़ुकबर्हिणवाजितै: । उसके बाद सुशर्मा और कृपाचार्यको भी तीन-तीन बाणोंसे बींध डाला। राजेन्द्र! फिर समरांगणमें प्राग्ज्योतिषनरेश भगदत्त, सिन्धुराज जयद्रथ, चित्रसेन, विकर्ण, कृतवर्मा, दुर्मीषण तथा महारथी विन्द और अनुविन्द--इनमैंसे प्रत्येकको गीधकी पाँखसे युक्त तीन- तीन बाणोंद्वारा विशेष पीड़ा दी इसी समय द्रोणाचार्यने अवसर देखकर लोहेके बने हुए पैंसठ पैने बाणोंद्वारा भीमसेनको बींध डाला
sañjaya uvāca | droṇas tu vivaraṃ dṛṣṭvā bhīmasenaṃ śilimukhaiḥ | vivyādha bāṇair niśitaiḥ pañcaṣaṣṭibhir āyasaiḥ | ekaikaṃ tribhir ānarcchet kaṅkubārhiṇavājitaiḥ |
Sañjaya said: Drona, perceiving an opening, struck Bhīmasena with sharp, iron-tipped arrows—sixty-five in number. Then, with three arrows apiece, he also pierced each of the other warriors, using shafts adorned with the feathers of the kaṅku bird. The passage underscores the ruthless precision of battlefield skill: even a master’s prowess, when driven by the demands of war, becomes an instrument of intense suffering rather than moral uplift.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, mastery and alertness exploit even a small ‘vivara’ (opening). It implicitly warns that power and skill, when yoked to conflict, intensify suffering; therefore discernment about the causes and conduct of war remains ethically significant even amid kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa notices a vulnerability and showers Bhīma with sixty-five sharp iron arrows, then strikes other warriors individually with three arrows each, using feather-adorned shafts—depicting Droṇa’s tactical precision and dominance in the battle moment.