Shloka 19
द्रौणिप्रतिज्ञा–नारायणास्त्रवर्णनम्
Drauṇi’s Vow and the Description of the Nārāyaṇāstra
वृषसेनस्ततो राजन ट्रुपदं नवभि: शरै: | विद्ध्वा विव्याध सप्तत्या पुनरन्यैस्त्रिभिस्त्रिभि:,राजन! तदनन्तर वृषसेनने राजा द्रुपदको नौ बाणोंसे घायल करके फिर सत्तर बाणोंसे बींध डाला। तत्पश्चात् उन्हें तीन-तीन बाण और मारे
vṛṣasenastato rājan drupadaṃ navabhiḥ śaraiḥ | viddhvā vivyādha saptatyā punar anyais tribhis tribhiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Then, O King, Vṛṣasena struck Drupada with nine arrows; having pierced him, he further wounded him with seventy more, and again with other arrows, three at a time. The scene underscores the relentless escalation of violence on the battlefield, where prowess is displayed through repeated volleys, even as the moral cost of such excess remains implicit.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield ethic of relentless martial exertion—skill and dominance are shown through repeated, measured volleys. Ethically, it also invites reflection on how war normalizes excess force, turning suffering into a metric of victory.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Vṛṣasena strikes King Drupada first with nine arrows, then with seventy more, and then continues to shoot additional arrows in sets of three, intensifying the assault.