Shloka 126
ससैन्यास्ते न्यवर्तन्त द्रोणमेव महाद्युतिम् महाधनुर्धर द्रौपदीकुमार तथा राक्षस घटोत्कच भी अपनी सेनाओंके साथ महातेजस्वी द्रोणाचार्यकी ही ओर लौट आये
sa-sainyās te nyavartanta droṇam eva mahā-dyutim | mahā-dhanuḥ-dharaḥ draupadī-kumāraḥ tathā rākṣasaḥ ghaṭotkacaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then those warriors, along with their respective troops—Draupadī’s son, the great archer, and the rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca—turned back and advanced again toward Droṇācārya alone, the mighty and radiant commander. The scene underscores a deliberate return to confront the principal pillar of the opposing force, where courage and strategy converge with the grave moral weight of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, decisive action often means confronting the central source of an enemy’s strength. Ethically, it points to the heavy responsibility of choosing targets and tactics: courage and strategy are inseparable from the moral burden of violence, especially when the opponent is a revered teacher and commander like Droṇa.
Sañjaya reports that the warriors—specifically Draupadī’s son (a great archer) and the rākṣasa Ghaṭotkaca—along with their troops, turn back and move again toward Droṇa, focusing their effort on him as the key figure on the battlefield.