Shloka 52
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
ततो द्रोण: सत्यसंध: प्रभिन्न इव कुझ्जर: । अभ्यतीत्य रथानीकं दृढसेनमपातयत्,तदनन्तर सत्यप्रतिज्ञ द्रोणने मदकी धारा बहानेवाले गजराजकी भाँति रथ-सेनाको लाँघकर दृढसेनको मार गिराया
tato droṇaḥ satyasaṃdhaḥ prabhinna iva kuñjaraḥ | abhyatītya rathānīkaṃ dṛḍhasenam apātayat ||
サञ्जयは言った。ついでドローナは、誓いに堅く結ばれ、束縛を断ち切った狂象のごとく突進した。密集する戦車隊の中へ躍り込み、ドリダセーナを討ち倒した。戦の狂乱の中では、言葉に殉ずる決意（satya-saṃdhi）が陣形も命も押し流す駆動力となり得る――約束への忠実さと、その忠実さが戦場にもたらす破滅とのあいだに、倫理の緊張が立ち上がるのである。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights satyasaṃdhi—steadfastness to one’s pledged word—as a powerful moral force. In the Mahābhārata’s war context, it also exposes the ethical strain: virtues like fidelity and resolve, when harnessed to warfare, can intensify destruction, prompting reflection on how dharma operates amid conflict.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, compared to a charging elephant, breaks into the enemy chariot-formation (rathānīka) and causes the warrior Dṛḍhasena to fall—i.e., he defeats and strikes him down in battle.