Shloka 12
सात्यकि: सप्तविंशत्या द्रौणिं विदृध्वा शिलीमुखै: । पुनर्विव्याध नाराचै: सप्तभि: स्वर्णभूषितै:,सात्यकिने सत्ताईस बाणोंसे अश्वत्थामाको घायल करके पुनः सात स्वर्णभूषित नाराचोंद्वारा उसे बींध डाला
sātyakiḥ saptaviṃśatyā drauṇiṃ vidṛdhvā śilīmukhaiḥ | punar vivyādha nārācaiḥ saptabhiḥ svarṇabhūṣitaiḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Sātyaki, having wounded Droṇa’s son (Aśvatthāman) with twenty-seven sharp arrows, again pierced him with seven gold-adorned nārāca shafts. The verse underscores the relentless escalation of battlefield violence, where prowess and resolve drive repeated strikes, even as the ethical weight of harming a revered teacher’s son hangs over the combat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the uncompromising momentum of kṣatriya warfare: once engaged, a warrior presses advantage through repeated, precise strikes. Ethically, it reflects the tension between martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the grave human cost—here intensified because the target is the son of a revered teacher (Droṇa).
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki first wounds Aśvatthāman with twenty-seven arrows and then follows up by piercing him again with seven gold-ornamented nārāca shafts, emphasizing Sātyaki’s aggressive, sustained assault in the Karṇa Parva battle sequence.