Shloka 181
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
पुन: शत्रुंजयं नाम द्रुपदस्यात्मजं रणे । बलानीकं॑ जयानीकं जयाश्वं चाभिजध्निनवान्
punaḥ śatruñjayaṃ nāma drupadasyātmajaṃ raṇe | balānīkaṃ jayānīkaṃ jayāśvaṃ cābhijaghnivān ||
पुनः शत्रुञ्जयं नाम द्रुपदस्यात्मजं रणे । बलानीकं जयानीकं जयाश्वं चाभिजघान ह ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the grim ethical reality of dharma-bound warfare: even renowned warriors and royal sons fall in rapid succession. It invites reflection on the cost of conflict—how duty and valor operate within a tragedy where victory is purchased by irreversible loss.
Sañjaya reports a sequence of battlefield killings: Śatruñjaya (identified as Drupada’s son) and the warriors Balānīka, Jayānīka, and Jayāśva are struck down, indicating a renewed surge of violence and shifting fortunes in the Drona Parva combat.