Shloka 16
दण्डधारवधः | The Slaying of Daṇḍadhāra
राजानं निहतं दृष्टवा तेडभिसारं तु मारिष । अभ्यद्रवन्त वेगेन चित्रसेनस्य सैनिका:,माननीय नरेश! अभिसार देशके अधिपति राजा चित्रसेनको मारा गया देख उनके सैनिक बड़े वेगसे भाग चले
rājānaṁ nihataṁ dṛṣṭvā teḍabhisāraṁ tu māriṣa | abhyadravanta vegena citrasenasya sainikāḥ |
राजानं निहतं दृष्ट्वा तेडभिसारं तु मारिष । अभ्यद्रवन्त वेगेन चित्रसेनस्य सैनिकाः ॥
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a battlefield ethic of loyalty and immediate response: the death of a leader triggers collective action—either retaliation or a desperate counter-move—showing how attachment to kingship and group duty can override fear and deliberation in war.
After King Citraseṇa, the lord of Abhisāra, is seen slain, his soldiers surge forward at great speed, reacting to the shock of their leader’s fall and attempting to respond on the battlefield.