Shloka 8
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 47 — Abhimanyu’s rapid exchanges, counsel to disable his chariot-system
द्रोणं पजचाशताविध्यद् विंशत्या च बृहद्धलम् । अशीत्या कृतवर्माणं कृप॑ षष्ट्या शिलीमुखै:
droṇaṁ pañcāśatā vidhyad viṁśatyā ca bṛhaddhalam | aśītyā kṛtavarmāṇaṁ kṛpaṁ ṣaṣṭyā śilīmukhaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: He struck Droṇa with fifty arrows, and Bṛhaddhala with twenty; Kṛtavarmā with eighty; and Kṛpa with sixty sharp shafts. The report underscores the relentless arithmetic of battle—skill and resolve expressed through measured force—while reminding the listener that even the greatest warriors are subject to the impersonal momentum of war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, prowess is displayed through disciplined, targeted action; yet the very precision of violence also points to the grim ethical weight of battle, where even revered elders and teachers become objects of attack under kṣatriya duty and the tide of conflict.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of successful hits in battle: an unnamed warrior (contextually, the active combatant in this passage) pierces Droṇa, Bṛhaddhala, Kṛtavarmā, and Kṛpa with specified numbers of arrows, emphasizing intensity and dominance in that exchange.