Shloka 38
Droṇavadha-saṃniveśaḥ — The Convergence Toward Droṇa’s Fall
Book 7, Chapter 164
ततः सुनिशितैर्बाणै: पार्थ विव्याध सप्तभि: । युधिष्ठिरो5पि संक्रुद्ध: प्रतिविव्याध पठचभि:
tataḥ suniśitair bāṇaiḥ pārtha vivyādha saptabhiḥ | yudhiṣṭhiro 'pi saṅkruddhaḥ prativivyādha pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, with seven razor-sharp arrows, Yudhiṣṭhira pierced Pārtha (Arjuna). Arjuna too, angered in return, struck back and pierced him with five arrows—each answering blow intensifying the fierce reciprocity of battle, where restraint and duty struggle against rising wrath.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most dharma-minded warrior can be drawn into anger amid violence; the verse highlights how quickly retaliation escalates, reminding readers that inner restraint is ethically significant even when one is bound to kṣatriya-duty.
In the midst of the Drona Parva battle, Yudhiṣṭhira strikes Arjuna with seven sharp arrows; Arjuna, provoked, responds by wounding Yudhiṣṭhira with five arrows.