Shloka 57
Adhyāya 104 — Śikhaṇḍin-puraskāraḥ (Śikhaṇḍin as Vanguard) and Bhīṣma’s Counter-Advance
सात्यकिस्तु रणे हित्वा गुरुपुत्रं महारथम् । द्रोणं विव्याध विंशत्या सर्वपारशवै: शरै:
sātyakis tu raṇe hitvā guruputraṁ mahāratham | droṇaṁ vivyādha viṁśatyā sarvapāraśavaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Nhưng giữa chiến địa, Sātyaki bỏ qua đại xa thủ, con trai của đạo sư (Aśvatthāman), rồi bắn Droṇa hai mươi mũi tên, tất cả đều cán sắt.
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.