Shloka 68

Devanagari script

अथ द्रोणं समारोहच्चेकितानो महाबल: । स द्रोणं दशभिर्विद्ध्वा प्रत्यविद्धयत्‌ स्तनान्तरे

Transliteration

atha droṇaṃ samārohac cekitāno mahābalaḥ | sa droṇaṃ daśabhir viddhvā pratyaviddhayat stanāntare ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then the mighty Cekitāna charged straight at Droṇa. Piercing Droṇa with ten arrows, he struck back in return, wounding him in the region between the breasts. The scene underscores the relentless reciprocity of battlefield violence, where prowess and retaliation eclipse restraint, even against a revered teacher-warrior.

Word by Word

अथthen

द्रोणम्Drona (as object)

समारोहत्mounted/ascended (attacked by mounting up to)

चेकितानःChekitana

महाबलःmighty-armed/very strong

सःhe

द्रोणम्Drona (as object)

दशभिःwith ten

विद्ध्वाhaving pierced/struck

प्रत्यविद्धयत्struck back/retaliated by piercing

स्तनान्तरेin the space between the breasts (on the chest)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa

Cekitāna

arrows

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of immediate counteraction: martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) often manifests as swift retaliation, showing how war normalizes reciprocal harm even when the opponent is a venerable figure like Droṇa.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Cekitāna rushes at Droṇa, pierces him with ten arrows, and then delivers a further retaliatory strike that wounds Droṇa on the chest (stanāntara).