Shloka 64
विराटो द्रुपदश्चैव याज्ञसेनिश्व पञ्चभि: । शिखण्डी चैव हार्दिक्यं विद्ूध्वा पजचभिराशुगै:
virāṭo drupadaś caiva yājñaseniś ca pañcabhiḥ | śikhaṇḍī caiva hārdikyaṁ viddhvā pañcabhir āśugaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Virāṭa and Drupada, and Yājñaseni as well—having struck Hārdikya with five swift arrows—were joined by Śikhaṇḍī too. In the press of battle, the allied kings and warriors focus their force on a single foe, showing the grim wartime ethic of coordinated assault rather than solitary heroics.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a wartime dharma where allied warriors act in coordination to check a dangerous opponent; it underscores the ethical tension of battle—duty-driven violence carried out through collective strategy rather than personal rivalry alone.
Sañjaya reports that Virāṭa, Drupada, and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Yājñaseni) strike Hārdikya (Kṛtavarman) with five swift arrows, and Śikhaṇḍī also engages—indicating a concentrated attack on Kṛtavarman in the ongoing Kurukṣetra fighting.