Shloka 4
द्रोणपर्व (अध्याय ११२) — कर्णभीमयोर्युद्धम्, दुर्योधनस्य रक्षणादेशः
Droṇa-parva 112: Karṇa–Bhīma Engagement and Duryodhana’s Protective Order
तमापतन्तं सहसा भारद्वाजं महारथम् | सात्यकि: पज्चविंशत्या क्षुद्रकाणां समार्पयत्,उस समय सहसा आते हुए महारथी द्रोणाचार्यको सात्यकिने पचीस बाण मारे
tam āpatantaṃ sahasā bhāradvājaṃ mahāratham | sātyakiḥ pañcaviṃśatyā kṣudrakāṇāṃ samārpayat ||
Sañjaya said: As the great chariot-warrior Droṇa, the son of Bhāradvāja, suddenly charged forward, Sātyaki met him at once by delivering a volley of twenty-five swift arrows—an act of immediate resistance in the press of battle, aimed at checking a formidable elder whose prowess threatened the opposing ranks.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
In the battlefield context, the verse highlights prompt, proportionate response to imminent threat: when a powerful aggressor charges, a defender must act decisively to protect allies. Ethically, it reflects kṣatriya-dharma—meeting force with disciplined counterforce—while also underscoring the tragic necessity of opposing even revered elders when they stand on the other side of the conflict.
Droṇa, described as the great chariot-warrior and son of Bhāradvāja, suddenly advances in attack. Sātyaki immediately checks this advance by shooting a rapid volley of twenty-five light arrows at him.