Shloka 14
Aśvatthāmā’s Lamentation, Vow of Retaliation, and the Manifestation of the Nārāyaṇāstra (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६६)
के पृष्ठतश्नाप्पयभवन् वीरा वीरान् विनिध्नतः । के पुरस्तादगच्छन्त निध्नन्तः शात्रवान् रणे,कौन-कौन-से योद्धा द्रोणाचार्यके रथके दाहिने पहियेकी रक्षा करते थे और कौन-कौन- से बायें पहियेकी? कौन-कौन-से वीर वीरोंका वध करनेवाले द्रोणाचार्यके पृष्ठभागके रक्षक थे और रणमें शत्रुसैनिकोंका संहार करनेवाले कौन-कौन-से योद्धा आचार्यके आगे-आगे चलते थे?
sañjaya uvāca | ke pṛṣṭhataḥ nāppayabhavan vīrā vīrān vinighnataḥ | ke purastād agacchanta nighnantaḥ śātravān raṇe |
Sañjaya said: Which heroes guarded the rear of Droṇa’s chariot—those mighty men who were striking down mighty opponents? Which warriors went in front of the preceptor, advancing in battle and slaughtering the enemy host? (And likewise, who protected the right wheel and who the left wheel of Droṇa’s chariot?)
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the battlefield ethic of disciplined protection around a key commander: coordinated roles (front, rear, flanks/wheels) sustain an army’s effectiveness. It highlights how individual valor is meant to serve collective order and strategic duty rather than isolated aggression.
Sañjaya is describing (and Dhṛtarāṣṭra is implicitly asking to hear) the arrangement around Droṇa in combat—who marched ahead clearing enemies, who guarded the rear, and (as indicated in the accompanying gloss) who protected the right and left sides/wheels of Droṇa’s chariot.