Mahabharata 7.21.53 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 53
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
ततो राजानमासाद्य प्रहरन््तमभीतवत् । अविध्यन्नव्ि: क्षेमं स हतः प्रापतद् रथात्
tato rājānam āsādya praharan abhītavat | avidhyan nava-bhiḥ kṣemaṃ sa hataḥ prāpatad rathāt ||
संजय म्हणाला—मग निर्भयपणे प्रहार करणाऱ्या राजा क्षेमाजवळ जाऊन द्रोणाने त्याला नऊ बाणांनी भेदले. त्या बाणांनी जखमी होऊन क्षेम रथावरून खाली कोसळला.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh ethic of battlefield duty as portrayed in the epic: fearlessness and decisive action are praised in combat, yet even kings are vulnerable to the consequences of war. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring reminder that power and status do not shield one from mortality.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior closes in on King Kṣema while Kṣema is fighting boldly, pierces him with nine arrows, and Kṣema—struck down—falls from his chariot.
Ask anything about this verse
Curious about the meaning, context, or a word? Ask, and continue the conversation in the Vedapath app.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Mahabharata in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with audio, word-by-word meanings, and more.