Shloka 17
तामापतन्तीं सहसा पट्टबद्धामयस्मयीम् । न्यवारयच्छरैद्रोणो बहुभिर्बहुरूपिभि:,वह लोहेकी गदा रेशमी वस्त्रसे बँधी हुई थी। उसे सहसा अपने ऊपर आती देख द्रोणाचार्यने अनेक रूपवाले बहुसंख्यक बाणोंद्वारा उसका निवारण कर दिया
tām āpatantīṃ sahasā paṭṭabaddhām ayasmayīm | nyavārayac charair droṇo bahubhir bahurūpibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing that iron mace, suddenly hurtling toward him and bound with a silken strap, Droṇa checked its onrush with a great many arrows of varied kinds. The scene underscores the disciplined, technical mastery of warfare—where even a deadly weapon is restrained through skill—while also hinting at the grim ethical tension of battle: prowess is exercised not for peace, but for survival amid escalating violence.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights disciplined mastery and presence of mind in crisis: even a lethal, fast-approaching weapon can be neutralized through trained skill. Ethically, it reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension—excellence in dharma-bound duty (kṣātra conduct) operating within the tragic machinery of war.
A heavy iron mace, strapped with a band (understood as a silken binding), rushes toward Droṇa. Droṇa counters it immediately by releasing numerous arrows of varied types, thereby stopping or deflecting the incoming blow.