Shloka 676
धृष्टद्युम्नो&वधीद् द्रोणं रथतल्पे नरर्षभम् । अर्जुन तो दयावश चिल्लाते हुए धृष्टद्युम्मके पास आने लगे। परंतु उनके तथा अन्य सब राजाओंके पुकारते रहनेपर भी धृष्टद्युम्नने रथकी बैठकमें नरश्रेष्ठ द्रोणका वध कर ही डाला
sañjaya uvāca | dhṛṣṭadyumno ’vadhīd droṇaṃ rathatalpe nararṣabham |
Sañjaya said: Dhṛṣṭadyumna slew Droṇa, the bull among men, as he lay upon the chariot-seat. Though Arjuna, moved by compassion, hurried toward Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and though many kings cried out to stop him, Dhṛṣṭadyumna nevertheless carried out the killing of Droṇa on the chariot itself—an act that presses the war’s harsh logic against the claims of mercy and righteous restraint.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral tension in war: even revered figures may be slain when the conflict hardens hearts and strategy overrides restraint. Arjuna’s compassion represents the pull of dharma as mercy and propriety, while Dhṛṣṭadyumna’s act shows how vengeance and perceived necessity can eclipse those ideals, leaving an ethically fraught victory.
Sañjaya reports that Dhṛṣṭadyumna kills Droṇa on the chariot-seat. Arjuna, out of pity, rushes toward Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and other kings call out, but Dhṛṣṭadyumna does not stop and completes the killing.