Shloka 20
एतस्मिन्नन्तरे द्रौणिरभ्ययात् सुमहाबलम् | पार्षतं शत्रुदमनं शत्रुवीर्यासुनाशनम्,इसी समय शत्रुओंके बल और प्राणोंका नाश करनेवाले शत्रुसूदन महाबली धृष्टद्युम्नके पास द्रोणकुमार अश्वत्थामा आ पहुँचा
etasminn antare drauṇir abhyayāt sumahābalam | pārṣataṁ śatrudamanaṁ śatruvīryāsunāśanam ||
Sañjaya said: Just then, Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā advanced toward the mighty Dhṛṣṭadyumna, the son of Pṛṣata—one famed for subduing enemies and for destroying the strength and very lives of hostile warriors. The moment signals an intensification of the battle’s moral tension, where personal enmity and martial duty converge into a deadly encounter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, renowned power and reputation (enemy-subduing, life-destroying prowess) can drive events toward lethal confrontation. It implicitly raises the ethical pressure of kṣatriya-dharma: martial duty proceeds amid personal animosities and escalating violence, reminding the listener that valor, when yoked to hostility, becomes a force that consumes lives.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā, son of Droṇa, comes up to confront the mighty Dhṛṣṭadyumna (son of Pṛṣata), who is described as a formidable slayer and subduer of enemies. The scene sets up a direct clash between two major warriors at a critical moment in the battle.