Shloka 60
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
आसजन्नमागतं दृष्टवा धृष्टद्युम्न॑ जिघांसया । शरैर्वैतस्तिकै राजन् विव्याधासन्नवेधिभि:,राजन! वे क्रोधसे लाल आँखें करके द्रोणाचार्यके सिरको धड़से अलग कर देना चाहते थे। इसी समय द्रोणाचार्य होशमें आ गये और उन्होंने अपनेको मार डालनेकी इच्छासे धृष्टद्यम्मको निकट आया देख महान् टंकार करनेवाले अपने धनुषको हाथमें लेकर निकटसे वेधनेवाले बित्ते बराबर बाणोंद्वारा उन्हें घायल कर दिया
āsajannam āgataṃ dṛṣṭvā dhṛṣṭadyumnaṃ jighāṃsayā | śarair vaitastikai rājan vivyādhāsannavedhibhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing Dhṛṣṭadyumna come close, intent on killing him, Droṇa—having regained composure—took up his great-resounding bow and struck him with vaitastika arrows, short shafts meant for close-range piercing. The scene underscores the grim ethic of battlefield duty: even in a moment of vulnerability, a warrior-teacher reasserts martial discipline, while the attacker’s resolve is driven by the perceived necessity of ending a formidable foe.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh dharma of war: intent and proximity intensify responsibility and consequence. Even a revered teacher like Droṇa, once he regains composure, acts according to battlefield discipline, while Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s lethal intent reflects the perceived necessity of removing a dangerous opponent—showing how dharma in war often becomes a contest between duty, survival, and moral cost.
Dhṛṣṭadyumna advances very close, determined to kill Droṇa. Droṇa recovers his presence of mind, takes up his thunderous bow, and wounds Dhṛṣṭadyumna with short, close-range vaitastika arrows designed to pierce effectively at near distance.