दृष्ट्वा च सहसायान्तं पाञ्चाल्यो गुरुम् आत्मनः ॥
नाशंसत वधं वीरः पुत्राणां तव पार्षतः ॥
ततो रथं समारोप्य केकयस्य वृकोदरम् ॥
अभ्यधावत् सुसंक्रुद्धो द्रोणम् इष्वस्त्रपारगम् ॥
तस्याभिपततस् तूर्णं भारद्वाजः प्रतापवान् ॥
क्रुद्धश् चिच्छेद भल्लेन धनुः शत्रुनिषूदनः ॥
अन्यांश् च शतशो बाणान् प्रेषयाम् आस पार्षते ॥
दुर्योधनहितार्थाय भर्तृपिण्डम् अनुस्मरन् ॥
अथान्यद् धनुर् आदाय पार्षतः परवीरहा ॥
द्रोणं विव्याध सप्तत्या रुक्मपुङ्खैः शिलाशितैः ॥
तस्य द्रोणः पुनश् चापं चिच्छेदामित्रकर्शनः ॥
हयांश् च चतुरस् तूर्णं चतुर्भिः सायकोत्तमैः ॥
वैवस्वतक्षयं घोरं प्रेषयाम् आस वीर्यवान् ॥
सारथिं चास्य भल्लेन प्रेषयाम् आस मृत्यवे ॥
हताश्वात् स रथात् तूर्णम् अवप्लुत्य महारथः ॥
आरुरोह महाबाहुर् अभिमन्योर् महारथम् ॥
ततः सरथनागाश्वा समकम्पत वाहिनी ॥
पश्यतो भीमसेनस्य पार्षतस्य च पश्यतः ॥
तत् प्रभग्नं बलं दृष्ट्वा द्रोणेनामिततेजसा ॥
नाशक्नुवन् वारयितुं समस्तास् ते महारथाः ॥
वध्यमानं तु तत् सैन्यं द्रोणेन निशितैः शरैः ॥
व्यभ्रमत् तत्र तत्रैव क्षोभ्यमाण इवार्णवः ॥
तथा दृष्ट्वा च तत् सैन्यं जहृषे च बलं तव ॥
दृष्ट्वाचार्यं च संक्रुद्धं दहन्तं रिपुवाहिनीम् ॥
चुक्रुशुः सर्वतो योधाः साधु साध्व् इति भारत ॥
dṛṣṭvā ca sahasāyāntaṃ pāñcālyo gurum ātmanaḥ ||
nāśaṃsata vadhaṃ vīraḥ putrāṇāṃ tava pārṣataḥ ||
tato rathaṃ samāropya kekayasya vṛkodaram ||
abhyadhāvat susaṃkruddho droṇam iṣvastrapāragam ||
tasyābhipatatas tūrṇaṃ bhāradvājaḥ pratāpavān ||
kruddhaś ciccheda bhallena dhanuḥ śatruniṣūdanaḥ ||
anyāṃś ca śataśo bāṇān preṣayām āsa pārṣate ||
duryodhanahitārthāya bhartṛpiṇḍam anusmaran ||
athānyad dhanur ādāya pārṣataḥ paravīrahā ||
droṇaṃ vivyādha saptatyā rukmapuṅkhaiḥ śilāśitaiḥ ||
tasya droṇaḥ punaś cāpaṃ cicchedāmitrakarśanaḥ ||
hayāṃś ca caturas tūrṇaṃ caturbhiḥ sāyakottamaiḥ ||
vaivasvatakṣayaṃ ghoraṃ preṣayām āsa vīryavān ||
sārathiṃ cāsya bhallena preṣayām āsa mṛtyave ||
hatāśvāt sa rathāt tūrṇam avaplutya mahārathaḥ ||
āruroha mahābāhur abhimanyor mahāratham ||
tataḥ sarathanāgāśvā samakampata vāhinī ||
paśyato bhīmasenasya pārṣatasya ca paśyataḥ ||
tat prabhagnaṃ balaṃ dṛṣṭvā droṇenāmitatejasā ||
nāśaknuvan vārayituṃ samastās te mahārathāḥ ||
vadhyamānaṃ tu tat sainyaṃ droṇena niśitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
vyabhramat tatra tatraiva kṣobhyamāṇa ivārṇavaḥ ||
tathā dṛṣṭvā ca tat sainyaṃ jahṛṣe ca balaṃ tava ||
dṛṣṭvācāryaṃ ca saṃkruddhaṃ dahantaṃ ripuvāhinīm ||
cukruśuḥ sarvato yodhāḥ sādhu sādhv iti bhārata ||
Seeing his own teacher suddenly bearing down upon him, the heroic Panchala prince, son of Prishata, no longer hoped to slay your sons. He set Vrikodara upon Kekaya's chariot and, burning with rage, charged at Drona, master of bow and astras. As he swiftly bore down, the valiant son of Bharadvaja, destroyer of enemies, in his fury cut the prince's bow with a bhalla arrow. Remembering the bread of his lord and acting for Duryodhana's benefit, he loosed hundreds more arrows against Parshata. Then Parshata, slayer of enemy heroes, took up another bow and pierced Drona with seventy gold-feathered arrows whetted on stone. But Drona, tormentor of foes, once more severed his bow, and with four excellent arrows swiftly dispatched his four horses to the terrible abode of Vaivasvata; his charioteer too he sent to death with a bhalla arrow. Leaping down from the chariot whose horses had been slain, the mighty-armed great warrior swiftly mounted the great chariot of Abhimanyu. Then the army, with its chariots, elephants and horses, trembled before the eyes of Bhimasena and of Parshata. Seeing that force shattered by Drona of immeasurable splendor, none of the great warriors could check it. Struck down by Drona's sharp arrows, the army scattered this way and that, like a sea churned into turmoil. Beholding the army in such straits, and beholding the enraged teacher burning the enemy host, your army rejoiced; warriors on every side cried out, "Well done! Well done!" O Bharata.
6b81d1dbfcca · published Jul 17, 2026, 9:38:20 PM UTC
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Drona acts here as an acharya caught in a tragic knot of duty — the duty of service bound to old enmity. His power lifts the spirits of the Kauravas, yet the scene itself remains morally grave: knowledge and mastery are placed in service of a side already reaping the fruit of adharma.