Shloka 16
पुन: सप्तशतानन्यान् सहस््रन॑ चानिवर्तिन: । चिक्षेपायुतशश्नान्यांस्ते5घ्नन् द्रोणस्प तां चमूम्,तत्पश्चात् सात सौ और फिर एक हजार ऐसे बाण छोड़े जो किसी प्रकार प्रतिहत होनेवाले नहीं थे। तदनन्तर अर्जुनने दस-दस हजार बाणोंद्वारा प्रहार किया। उन सभी बाणोंने द्रोणाचार्यकी उस सेनाका संहार कर डाला
sañjaya uvāca |
punaḥ saptaśatān anyān sahasraṃ cānivartinaḥ |
cikṣepāyutaśaś cānyāṃs te ’ghnan droṇasya tāṃ camūm ||
Sañjaya said: Again he discharged seven hundred more arrows, and then a thousand that could not be turned back. Thereafter he hurled tens of thousands more; and those shafts cut down Droṇa’s host. The passage underscores the relentless mechanics of battle—skill and force overwhelming formations—while leaving the ethical tension of war implicit: victory is purchased through mass destruction, even when fought under the banner of duty.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse does not preach directly; it highlights the grim reality of dharma-yuddha: even when warriors act within their role-duty, the immediate outcome is large-scale destruction. It invites reflection on the cost of victory and the moral weight carried by martial excellence.
Sañjaya reports a surge of missile-fire: first hundreds, then a thousand irresistible arrows, then volleys numbering in tens of thousands, by which Droṇa’s forces are cut down.