Shloka 326
Droṇa–Dhṛṣṭadyumna-yuddha (द्रोण-धृष्टद्युम्न-युद्धम्) — Tactical duel and allied interventions
प्रेषयामास समरे सो5स्य काये न्न्यमज्जत । तदनन्तर उस रणक्षेत्रमें उन्होंने द्वितीय कालदण्डके समान अत्यन्त भयंकर बाण चलाया। वह बाण धूृष्टद्युम्नके शरीरमें धँस गया
sañjaya uvāca | preṣayāmāsa samare so 'sya kāye nyamajjata | tad-anantaraṃ raṇakṣetre te dvitīya-kāladaṇḍa-samam atyanta-bhayaṅkaraṃ bāṇam acālayat | sa bāṇo dhṛṣṭadyumnasya śarīre dhaṃs gataḥ |
Sinabi ni Sañjaya: Sa gitna ng labanan, nagpalipad siya ng isang sandata at ito’y bumaon sa katawan. Pagkaraan nito, sa larangan ng digmaan, pinakawalan niya ang isang lubhang kakila-kilabot na palaso—na wari’y ikalawang pamalo ng Kamatayan. Ang palasong iyon ay tumagos at nanatiling nakabaon sa katawan ni Dṛṣṭadyumna, lalo pang pinabigat ang madilim na agos ng digmaan.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the Mahābhārata’s stark portrayal of war: once dharma has collapsed into armed conflict, death becomes an ever-present moral horizon. The simile of the 'rod of Death' highlights the inevitability and gravity of lethal action, reminding readers that martial prowess carries irreversible ethical consequences.
Sañjaya reports that a combatant fires an arrow that penetrates and lodges in the body, and then another extremely fearsome arrow—likened to a second staff of Death—strikes Dhṛṣṭadyumna and embeds in him, marking a severe blow amid the ongoing battle.