Mahabharata 7.21.62 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 62

द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping

Devanagari script

सात्यकिं चेकितानं च धृष्टद्युम्मशिखण्डिनौ । वार्थक्षेमिं चैत्रसेनिं सेनाबिन्दुं सुवर्चसम्‌

Transliteration

sātyakiṃ cekitānaṃ ca dhṛṣṭadyumnam śikhaṇḍinau | vārthakṣemiṃ caitraseniṃ senābinduṃ suvarcasam ||

Translation

Sañjaya nói: Giữa cơn giao chiến, Droṇācārya—dẫu bị quân Kaurava vây quanh—vẫn khuất phục Sātyaki, Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭadyumna và Śikhaṇḍin, cùng Vārthakṣemi, con của Citraseṇa, Senābindu, Suvarcas và nhiều vua chúa khác từ các xứ sở. Đoạn này nhấn mạnh đà tiến nghiệt ngã của chiến tranh: tài nghệ và mưu lược có thể khuất phục cả những anh hùng lừng danh, trong khi căng thẳng đạo lý của việc chiến đấu dưới những lòng trung thành tranh chấp ngày càng dồn nén.

Word by Word

• सात्यकिम्: Sātyaki (as object)
• सात्यकिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सात्यकि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• एकितानम्: Ekitāna/Cekitāna (as object)
• एकितानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: एकितान
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• धृष्टद्युम्न: Dhṛṣṭadyumna (as object)
• धृष्टद्युम्न: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: धृष्टद्युम्न
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• शिखण्डिनौ: the two: (Dhṛṣṭadyumna and) Śikhaṇḍin (dual object)
• शिखण्डिनौ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिखण्डिन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Dual

• वृद्धक्षेमिम्: Vṛddhakṣemi (as object)
• वृद्धक्षेमिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: वृद्धक्षेमि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• ऐत्रसेनिम्: Aitraseni (son of Citraseṇa) (as object)
• ऐत्रसेनिम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: ऐत्रसेनि
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सेनाबिन्दुम्: Senābindu (as object)
• सेनाबिन्दुम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सेनाबिन्दु
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• सुवर्चसम्: Suvarcas (as object)
• सुवर्चसम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सुवर्चस्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇācārya (Droṇa)
• Sātyaki
• Cekitāna
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Śikhaṇḍin
• Vārthakṣemi
• Citraseṇa (as ancestor in 'caitraseni')
• Senābindu
• Suvarcas
• Kauravas
• various kings (from diverse countries/realms)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh reality of war: even celebrated heroes can be checked by superior command and circumstance. Ethically, it points to the tension within kṣatriya-dharma—valor and duty operate within a tragic field where victory does not necessarily resolve righteousness, but intensifies the moral weight of continued fighting.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa, supported and surrounded by the Kaurava formation, overpowers a list of major Pāṇḍava-aligned warriors—Sātyaki, Cekitāna, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, Śikhaṇḍin, and others—along with many kings from different regions, indicating Droṇa’s dominance in that phase of the battle.