Shloka 64
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 95 — Sātyaki’s Breakthrough and the Routing of Allied Contingents
रथमावार्य गदया केशवं समताडयत् | भारत! तदनन्तर वीर अम्बष्ठने प्रहार करनेके लिये उद्यत हो गदा उठाये आगे बढ़कर अर्जुनके रथको रोक दिया और भगवान् श्रीकृष्णपर गदासे आघात किया ।। ६३ $ ।। गदया ताडिठतं दृष्टवा केशवं परवीरहा
ratham āvārya gadayā keśavaṁ samatāḍayat | bhārata! tad-anantaraṁ vīraḥ ambaṣṭhena prahāra-karaṇe udhyataḥ san gadām udyamya agre gatvā arjunasya rathaṁ rokayitvā bhagavantaṁ śrīkṛṣṇaṁ gadayā āhatavān || 63 || gadayā tāḍitaṁ dṛṣṭvā keśavaṁ paravīrahā
Sañjaya said: O descendant of Bharata, after that the warrior, intent on striking, lifted his mace, advanced, and checked Arjuna’s chariot; then he struck Keśava (Śrī Kṛṣṇa) with the mace. Seeing Keśava struck by the mace, the slayer of enemy-heroes… (the narration continues). Ethically, the moment underscores the extremity of battle where even the charioteer—revered as divine—is targeted, testing restraint, loyalty, and the limits of righteous conduct in war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The passage highlights how war can push combatants beyond ordinary restraints, even to the point of attacking a revered charioteer identified with divinity. It invites reflection on dharma in battle: courage and duty must be balanced with limits on cruelty and with reverence for what is sacred, even amid chaos.
A warrior advances with a mace, blocks Arjuna’s chariot, and strikes Keśava (Kṛṣṇa). The next line signals a reaction: upon seeing Keśava struck, the ‘slayer of enemy-heroes’ (contextually Arjuna) is poised to respond as the narration continues.