Shloka 57
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
सात्यकिस्तु रणे हित्वा गुरुपुत्रं महारथम् । द्रोणं विव्याध विंशत्या सर्वपारशवै: शरै:,तब सात्यकिने रणक्षेत्रमें गुरुपुत्र महारथी अश्वत्थामाको छोड़कर पूर्णतः लोहेके बने हुए बीस बाणोंसे द्रोणाचार्यको बींध डाला
sātyakis tu raṇe hitvā guruputraṁ mahāratham | droṇaṁ vivyādha viṁśatyā sarvapāraśavaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Wika ni Sañjaya: Ngunit sa gitna ng labanan, iniwan ni Sātyaki ang dakilang mandirigmang karwahe, ang anak ng guro (Aśvatthāman), at tinamaan si Droṇa ng dalawampung palaso, pawang may baras na bakal.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights battlefield ethics under pressure: warriors may set aside personal contests to confront the most consequential threat. It also reflects the Mahābhārata’s moral complexity—reverence for a guru coexists with the kṣatriya obligation to oppose him when he stands as an enemy commander.
Sañjaya reports that Sātyaki disengages from Aśvatthāman, a major opponent, and redirects his assault toward Droṇa, wounding him with twenty iron arrows—an abrupt tactical shift aimed at checking Droṇa’s dominance on the battlefield.