Shloka 53
धृष्टद्युम्नस्य द्रोणरथारोহণं सात्यकेः प्रतिरक्षणं च | Dhrishtadyumna Boards Droṇa’s Chariot; Sātyaki’s Counter-Protection
कथं बाले महेष्वासा नृशंसा मर्मभेदिन:
kathaṃ bāle maheṣvāsā nṛśaṃsā marmabhedinaḥ
ಓ ಬಾಲಕಾ! ಆ ಮಹಾಧನುರ್ಧರರು—ನಿರ್ದಯರು, ಮರ್ಮಭೇದಿಗಳು—ಒಬ್ಬ ಪುಟ್ಟ ಮಗುವಿನ ಮೇಲೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಗೆ ವರ್ತಿಸಬಲ್ಲರು?
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line highlights a dharmic critique of warfare: even in battle, attacking the vulnerable—here framed as ‘a child’—and doing so with ruthless precision (marmabhedin) is morally shocking and blameworthy.
Sañjaya reacts with indignation and disbelief, describing certain mighty archers as cruel and ‘vital-point piercers,’ and questions how they could direct such violence toward someone characterized as a child, underscoring the ethical tension within the battlefield events.