Shloka 28
भीष्मधनंजयद्वैरथम्
Bhīṣma–Dhanaṃjaya Duel and the Opening Clash
द्रोणं षष्ट्या नरव्याप्रो विकर्ण च त्रिभि: शरै: । शल्यं चैव त्रिभिर्बाणै राजानं चैव पठचभि:
sañjaya uvāca |
droṇaṃ ṣaṣṭyā naravyāghro vikarṇaṃ ca tribhiḥ śaraiḥ |
śalyaṃ caiva tribhir bāṇai rājānaṃ caiva pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Harimau di antara manusia itu memanah Droṇa dengan enam puluh anak panah, dan Vikarna dengan tiga. Dia juga menikam Śalya dengan tiga batang panah, dan raja itu pula dengan lima—mendorong pertempuran ke hadapan dengan pukulan yang terukur dan tepat sasaran di tengah pertembungan dharma dan cita-cita tamak di medan perang.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of resolute action in battle—precision, courage, and persistence—while implicitly reminding the listener that even disciplined martial excellence operates within the larger moral tension of the Kurukṣetra war.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of strikes in the battle: a heroic warrior (called 'naravyāghra') shoots Droṇa with sixty arrows, then hits Vikarna with three, Śalya with three, and a king with five, showing escalating pressure on prominent opponents.