Shloka 34
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
सात्यकिं दशभिर्बाणैविशत्या पार्षतं शरै:
sātyakiṃ daśabhir bāṇaiḥ viṃśatyā pārṣataṃ śaraiḥ
सात्यकिं दशभिर्बाणैर्विशत्या पार्षतं शरैः ।
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethic of disciplined action in war: effectiveness comes from trained focus and resolve. In the Mahābhārata’s moral landscape, such martial skill is framed within kṣatriya-duty, while also reminding the listener that violence, even when duty-bound, carries grave human cost.
Sañjaya reports a moment in the Drona Parva battle where an unnamed archer (from the immediate context) hits two prominent Pāṇḍava-side warriors—Sātyaki with ten arrows and Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) with twenty—signaling an intense exchange of missile warfare.