Mahabharata 7.21.49 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 49
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
शिखण्डी तु ततो द्रोणं पठचभिर्नतपर्वभि: । क्षत्रवर्मा च विंशत्या वसुदानश्च पञठ्चभि:
sañjaya uvāca |
śikhaṇḍī tu tato droṇaṃ pañcabhir nataparvabhiḥ |
kṣatravarmā ca viṃśatyā vasudānaś ca pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Kemudian Śikhaṇḍī memanah Droṇa dengan lima batang anak panah yang sendinya melengkung. Sesudah itu, Kṣatravarmā dengan dua puluh dan Vasudāna dengan lima (anak panah) turut melukakan Droṇācārya di medan perang—melukiskan derap perang yang tidak mengenal henti, sehingga seorang guru yang dimuliakan pun menjadi sasaran di tengah pertentangan tugas dan kesetiaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s ethical tension: in war, even venerable figures like Droṇa are subjected to violence when loyalties and perceived duties collide. It invites reflection on how dharma becomes contested in extreme circumstances, and how the battlefield compresses moral complexity into urgent action.
Sañjaya reports that Śikhaṇḍī first pierces Droṇa with five distinctive arrows; then Kṣatravarmā and Vasudāna also strike him with twenty and five arrows respectively, contributing to Droṇa’s wounding amid the ongoing battle.
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