Shloka 2
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 96: Sātyaki’s Line-Penetration, Encirclement, and Advance toward Arjuna
काम्बोजस्य च दायादे हते राजन् सुदक्षिणे । श्रुतायुधे च विक्रान्ते निहते सव्यसाचिना,त्वरन्नेकरथेनैव समेत्य द्रोणमब्रवीत् । संजय कहते हैं--राजन्! तदनन्तर जब कुन्तीकुमार अर्जुन सिन्धुराज जयद्रथका वध करनेकी इच्छासे द्रोणाचार्य और कृतवर्माका दुस्तर सेना-व्यूह भेदन करके आपकी सेनामें प्रविष्ट हो गये और सव्यसाची अर्जुनके हाथसे जब काम्बोजराजकुमार सुदक्षिण तथा पराक्रमी श्रुतायुध मार दिये गये तथा जब सारी सेनाएँ नष्ट-भ्रष्ट होकर चारों ओर भाग खड़ी हुईं, उस समय अपनी सम्पूर्ण सेनामें भगदड़ मची देख आपका पुत्र दुर्योधन बड़ी उतावलीके साथ एकमात्र रथके द्वारा द्रोणाचार्यके पास गया और उनसे मिलकर इस प्रकार बोला--
sañjaya uvāca |
kāmbojasya ca dāyāde hate rājan sudakṣiṇe |
śrutāyudhe ca vikrānte nihate savyasācinā |
tvarann ekaratheṇaiva sametya droṇam abravīt ||
Sañjaya said: O King, when Sudakṣiṇa, the heir of the Kāmboja line, had been slain, and when the valiant Śrutāyudha too had been killed by Arjuna the ambidextrous, Duryodhana—seeing his forces thrown into panic—hurried on a single chariot to Droṇa, met him, and spoke. The verse underscores how the fall of prominent warriors and the collapse of morale drive leaders into urgent counsel, revealing the ethical pressure of command amid a war where ambition and duty collide.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical weight of command in war: when key warriors fall and an army’s morale breaks, leaders are compelled to seek counsel urgently. It implicitly contrasts steadfastness in dharma with panic-driven decision-making under the pressure of loss.
After Arjuna (Savyasācin) kills Sudakṣiṇa of the Kāmbojas and the warrior Śrutāyudha, Duryodhana—alarmed by the disarray in his forces—rushes alone in a chariot to Droṇa and begins to address him.