Shloka 543
द्रोणपुत्रस्याग्नेयास्त्रप्रयोगः — अर्जुनस्य ब्राह्मास्त्रप्रतिघातः — व्यासोपदेशः
Aśvatthāmā’s Agneyāstra, Arjuna’s Brāhmāstra Counter, and Vyāsa’s Instruction
सर्वतः संवृतो योधै: शूरैश्वन रथसत्तमै: । 'ये पांचालराज ट्रुपदके पुत्र धृष्टद्युम्म, जो आचार्य द्रोणके साथ जूझ रहे हैं, हमारे रथियोंमें श्रेष्ठठम शूरवीर योद्धाओंद्वारा चारों ओरसे घिर गये हैं
sarvataḥ saṃvṛto yodhaiḥ śūraiś ca na rathasattamaiḥ | ye pāñcālarāja-drupadasya putro dhṛṣṭadyumnaḥ, yo ācārya-droṇena saha yudhyate, sa asmākaṃ rathināṃ śreṣṭhatamaiḥ śūravīra-yodhaiḥ caturdiśaṃ parivṛto 'bhavat ||
सर्वतः संवृतो योधैः शूरैश्चैव रथोत्तमैः । द्रुपदस्य सुतो वीरः धृष्टद्युम्नो महारथः ॥ आचार्यं द्रोणमासाद्य युध्यमानः समन्ततः । अस्माकं रथिभिः श्रेष्ठैः शूरवीरैः समावृतः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical pressure of kṣatriya-dharma in war: prowess and strategy (here, encirclement by elite rathas) can overwhelm even a prominent commander. It also underscores the tragic moral complexity of fighting around revered figures like Droṇa—where duty, loyalty, and the brutal logic of battle collide.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Dhṛṣṭadyumna—Drupada’s son and a leading Pāñcāla warrior—while fighting Droṇa, becomes surrounded on all sides by the Kaurava side’s foremost chariot-warriors, indicating a concentrated attempt to trap and neutralize him amid the larger battle.