Shloka 54
द्रोणकर्णयोः निशि संप्रहारः — Night Engagement with Droṇa and Karṇa
तं॑ द्रौणि: पञचविंशत्या वृषसेनश्न सप्तभि:
taṁ drauṇiḥ pañcaviṁśatyā vṛṣasenaś ca saptabhiḥ
ສັນຊະຍະ ກ່າວວ່າ: ອັສວັດຖາມັນ ບຸດແຫ່ງ ໂດຣນາ ຍິງເຂົາດ້ວຍລູກສອນ 25 ດອກ ແລະ ວຣິສະເສນະ ກໍຍິງອີກ 7 ດອກ—ເພີ່ມຄວາມກົດດັນໃນສະໜາມຮົບດ້ວຍການຍິງລູກສອນຢ່າງຮວບຮວມ.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: martial skill and intensity in war can be admirable as kṣatriya prowess, yet it also highlights how conflict escalates through coordinated violence, inviting reflection on the cost of warfare even when performed as ‘duty’.
Sañjaya reports a moment of battlefield action where Aśvatthāman shoots the opponent with twenty-five arrows, and Vṛṣasena adds seven more, indicating a combined assault and the rapid exchange of missiles typical of the Kurukṣetra war.