Shloka 41
व्यस्मयन्त रणे योधा देवताश्न समागता: । वे द्रोणाचार्यका अन्त करनेकी इच्छासे युद्धमें तलवारके उपर्युक्त हाथ दिखाते हुए विचर रहे थे। ढाल-तलवार लेकर विचरते हुए धृष्टद्युम्नके उन विचित्र पैंतरोंको देखकर रणभूमिमें आये हुए योद्धा और देवता आश्वर्यचकित हो उठे थे || ४० ई ।। तत:ः शरसहस्रेण शतचन्द्रमपातयत्
sañjaya uvāca | vyasmayanta raṇe yodhā devatāś ca samāgatāḥ | te droṇācāryaka-anta-karaṇecchayā yuddhe khaḍgopayukta-hastāḥ pracakramuḥ | ḍhāla-khaḍga-dharasya dhṛṣṭadyumnasya tān vicitrān pāñcarān dṛṣṭvā raṇabhūmim āgatā yodhā devāś ca āścaryacakitā babhūvuḥ || tataḥ śara-sahasreṇa śata-candram apātayat ||
Sañjaya said: On the battlefield, the warriors—and even the assembled gods—were struck with amazement. With sword and shield in hand, Dhṛṣṭadyumna moved about employing extraordinary feints and maneuvers, intent on bringing about the end of Droṇācārya. Seeing those uncanny movements of Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the fighters who had come to the field, along with the divine spectators, were filled with wonder. Then, with a thousand arrows, he struck down a hundred (moon-like) targets—i.e., he shattered the enemy’s shining weapons/crests in rapid succession.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how intention (saṅkalpa) and disciplined skill can make a warrior’s action appear almost superhuman—yet it also frames such prowess within the moral tension of war: even when destiny points toward a foe’s end (Droṇa’s), the battlefield remains a place where awe, restraint, and the weight of dharma are constantly tested.
Sañjaya describes Dhṛṣṭadyumna moving through the fight with sword and shield, using remarkable feints aimed at bringing about Droṇa’s downfall. His maneuvers astonish both human warriors and divine onlookers; then he performs a rapid feat of archery, striking down many bright targets (described as ‘a hundred moons’) with a thousand arrows.