Shloka 25
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
दुर्मुख: सहदेवं च प्रत्युद्याय महाबलम् । विव्याध शरवर्षेण यतमानं महाहवे
sañjaya uvāca | durmukhaḥ sahadevaṃ ca pratyudyāya mahābalam | vivyādha śaravarṣeṇa yatamānaṃ mahāhave ||
सञ्जय उवाच—दुर्मुखः सहदेवं महाबलं प्रत्युद्याय महाहवे यतमानं शरवर्षेण विव्याध।
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh reciprocity of battlefield duty: even sincere striving for victory meets forceful resistance. It reflects the Mahabharata’s ethical tension—personal valor and effort operate within a destructive war where outcomes are shaped by opposing dharmic commitments and martial skill.
Sanjaya reports that Durmukha advances against Sahadeva and wounds him by releasing a dense shower of arrows while Sahadeva is actively striving in the great battle.