Shloka 27
धृतराष्ट्र-संजय-संवादः — सात्यकि-अलम्बुसयोर्युद्धवर्णनम्
Dhṛtarāṣṭra–Saṃjaya Dialogue; Account of Sātyaki vs Alambusa
युयुधान: पुनद्रोणं विव्याध दशभि: शरै: । एकेन सारथिं चास्य चतुर्भिश्चतुरो हयान्
yuyudhānaḥ punar droṇaṃ vivyādha daśabhiḥ śaraiḥ | ekena sārathiṃ cāsya caturbhiś caturō hayān ||
Sañjaya said: Yuyudhāna once again struck Droṇa with ten arrows; with a single arrow he also pierced Droṇa’s charioteer, and with four more he wounded the four horses. The verse underscores the relentless precision of battlefield skill—targeting the warrior, then the support that sustains his mobility—showing how, in war, strategy often turns on disabling the means of action rather than only confronting the person.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights strategic discernment in conflict: effective action often involves disabling the supports of an opponent’s power (charioteer and horses) rather than only striking the principal fighter. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between necessary martial duty and the escalating ingenuity of violence in war.
Sañjaya reports that Yuyudhāna (Sātyaki) repeatedly attacks Droṇa: he hits Droṇa with ten arrows, then strikes Droṇa’s charioteer with one arrow, and wounds the four horses with four arrows—an attempt to impair Droṇa’s chariot and battlefield mobility.