Mahabharata 7.21.49 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 49

द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping

Devanagari script

शिखण्डी तु ततो द्रोणं पठचभिर्नतपर्वभि: । क्षत्रवर्मा च विंशत्या वसुदानश्च पञठ्चभि:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

śikhaṇḍī tu tato droṇaṃ pañcabhir nataparvabhiḥ |

kṣatravarmā ca viṃśatyā vasudānaś ca pañcabhiḥ ||

Translation

Disse Sañjaya: Então Śikhaṇḍī atingiu Droṇa com cinco flechas de juntas recurvadas. Depois disso, Kṣatravarmā com vinte e Vasudāna com cinco (flechas) também feriram Droṇācārya no campo de batalha—imagem do ímpeto implacável da guerra, em que até um mestre venerado se torna alvo em meio a deveres e lealdades concorrentes.

Word by Word

• शिखण्डी: Shikhandi
• शिखण्डी: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• तु: but/indeed
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तु

• ततः: then/from there
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ततः

• द्रोणम्: Drona
• द्रोणम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• पञ्चभिः: with five
• पञ्चभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• नतपर्वभिः: having bent joints/knots (i.e., barbed/curved-jointed)
• नतपर्वभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नतपर्वन्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

• क्षत्रवर्मा: Kshatravarman
• क्षत्रवर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: क्षत्रवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• विंशत्या: with twenty
• विंशत्या: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: विंशति
• Form: Feminine, Instrumental, Singular

• वसुदानः: Vasudana
• वसुदानः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: वसुदान
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• पञ्चभिः: with five
• पञ्चभिः: Karana
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पञ्च
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Śikhaṇḍī
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Kṣatravarmā
• Vasudāna
• arrows (śara/bāṇa implied)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

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.

What is happening in the narrative?

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.