Shloka 17
Adhyāya 107 — बहुयुद्धप्रकरणम्
Multiple Defensive Engagements to Protect Bhīṣma
तथैव द्रुपदो राजा द्रोणं विद्ध्वा शितै: शरै: । पुनर्विव्याध सप्तत्या सारथिं चास्थ पञ्चभि:
tathaiva drupado rājā droṇaṁ viddhvā śitaiḥ śaraiḥ | punar vivyādha saptatyā sārathiṁ cāṣṭa pañcabhiḥ ||
Sañjaya nói: Cũng như thế, vua Drupada đã bắn trúng Droṇa bằng những mũi tên sắc nhọn, rồi lại đâm xuyên ông thêm bảy mươi mũi nữa; và với năm mũi tên, ông cũng làm viên xa phu của Droṇa bị thương nặng.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the battlefield expression of kṣatriya-duty: sustained, strategic aggression against a formidable opponent. Ethically, it reflects how, once war is joined, the narrative often portrays duty as effectiveness in combat rather than personal restraint, even extending to disabling an enemy’s support (the charioteer).
Sañjaya reports that Drupada first strikes Droṇa with sharp arrows and then intensifies the assault by hitting him with seventy more arrows. Drupada also wounds Droṇa’s charioteer with five arrows, aiming to weaken Droṇa’s mobility and battlefield advantage.