Shloka 22
ईषाबन्धं चक्रबन्धं रथबन्धं तथैव च । प्रणाशयदमेयात्मा धृष्टद्युम्नस्य स द्विज:,उस समय अमेय बलसम्पन्न विप्रवर द्रोणाचार्यने धृष्टद्युम्मके रथके ईषाबन्ध, चक्रबन्ध तथा रथबन्धको नष्ट कर दिया
sañjaya uvāca |
īṣābandhaṃ cakrabandhaṃ rathabandhaṃ tathaiva ca |
praṇāśayad ameyātmā dhṛṣṭadyumnasya sa dvijaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: The immeasurable-souled brahmin (Droṇācārya) destroyed Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s chariot—its pole-fastening, its wheel-fastening, and the chariot-fastening as well. In the fierce ethics of war, this is a tactical disabling: not merely striking the warrior, but rendering his vehicle unfit, thereby shifting the balance of combat through skill and precision.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how mastery in warfare includes strategic disabling of an opponent’s resources (here, the chariot’s key fastenings), not only direct injury. It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between martial effectiveness and the ethical weight of violence, showing how outcomes can hinge on skillful, targeted action.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, described as a powerful brahmin-warrior, strikes Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s chariot in such a way that its pole-connection, wheel-connections, and other structural bindings are destroyed, effectively crippling the vehicle during combat.