Shloka 243
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
शूरं शिखण्डिन: पुत्रम॒क्षदेवमुदावहन् । शिखण्डीके शूरवीर पुत्र ऋक्षदेवको पद्मकेः समान वर्ण और निर्मल नेत्रवाले बाह्विकः देशके सजे-सजाये घोड़ोंने रणभूमिमें पहुँचाया
sañjaya uvāca | śūraṃ śikhaṇḍinaḥ putram akṣadevam udāvahan |
サञ्जयは言った――戦士たちはシカンディンの勇なる子アクシャデーヴァを進み出させ、戦場へと送り込んだ。戦のダルマ的気配の中で、この偈は、血統と個の武勇、そして味方の整然たる支援（戦車と馬）が、義務と破壊とが絡み合う闘技の場へ戦士を据えるための道具となることを示している。
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the epic’s recurrent ethic that in wartime a warrior’s role is shaped by dharma as understood through lineage and martial obligation, while also showing how individual valor depends on collective support and orderly deployment.
Sanjaya reports that Akṣadeva, the brave son of Śikhaṇḍin, is brought forward and conveyed into the battle—an announcement of a combatant’s arrival and readiness within the unfolding formations of the Drona Parva conflict.