द्रोणः पाञ्चालपुत्रेण समागम्य महारणे ॥
महासमुदयं चक्रे शरैः संनतपर्वभिः ॥
ततो द्रोणो महाराज पार्षतस्य महद् धनुः ॥
छित्त्वा पञ्चाशतेषूणां पार्षतं समविध्यत ॥
सो ऽन्यत् कार्मुकम् आदाय पार्षतः परवीरहा ॥
द्रोणस्य मिषतो युद्धे प्रेषयाम् आस सायकान् ॥
ताञ् शराञ् शरसंघैस् तु संनिवार्य महारथः ॥
द्रोणो द्रुपदपुत्राय प्राहिणोत् पञ्च सायकान् ॥
तस्य क्रुद्धो महाराज पार्षतः परवीरहा ॥
द्रोणाय चिक्षेप गदां यमदण्डोपमां रणे ॥
ताम् आपतन्तीं सहसा हेमपट्टविभूषिताम् ॥
शरैः पञ्चाशता द्रोणो वारयाम् आस संयुगे ॥
सा छिन्ना बहुधा राजन् द्रोणचापच्युतैः शरैः ॥
चूर्णीकृता विशीर्यन्ती पपात वसुधातले ॥
गदां विनिहतां दृष्ट्वा पार्षतः शत्रुसूदनः ॥
द्रोणाय शक्तिं चिक्षेप सर्वपारशवीं शुभाम् ॥
तां द्रोणो नवभिर् बाणैश् चिच्छेद युधि भारत ॥
पार्षतं च महेष्वासं पीडयाम् आस संयुगे ॥
एवम् एतन् महद् युद्धं द्रोणपार्षतयोर् अभूत् ॥
भीष्मं प्रति महाराज घोररूपं भयानकम् ॥
droṇaḥ pāñcālaputreṇa samāgamya mahāraṇe ||
mahāsamudayaṃ cakre śaraiḥ saṃnataparvabhiḥ ||
tato droṇo mahārāja pārṣatasya mahad dhanuḥ ||
chittvā pañcāśateṣūṇāṃ pārṣataṃ samavidhyata ||
so 'nyat kārmukam ādāya pārṣataḥ paravīrahā ||
droṇasya miṣato yuddhe preṣayām āsa sāyakān ||
tāñ śarāñ śarasaṃghais tu saṃnivārya mahārathaḥ ||
droṇo drupadaputrāya prāhiṇot pañca sāyakān ||
tasya kruddho mahārāja pārṣataḥ paravīrahā ||
droṇāya cikṣepa gadāṃ yamadaṇḍopamāṃ raṇe ||
tām āpatantīṃ sahasā hemapaṭṭavibhūṣitām ||
śaraiḥ pañcāśatā droṇo vārayām āsa saṃyuge ||
sā chinnā bahudhā rājan droṇacāpacyutaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
cūrṇīkṛtā viśīryantī papāta vasudhātale ||
gadāṃ vinihatāṃ dṛṣṭvā pārṣataḥ śatrusūdanaḥ ||
droṇāya śaktiṃ cikṣepa sarvapāraśavīṃ śubhām ||
tāṃ droṇo navabhir bāṇaiś ciccheda yudhi bhārata ||
pārṣataṃ ca maheṣvāsaṃ pīḍayām āsa saṃyuge ||
evam etan mahad yuddhaṃ droṇapārṣatayor abhūt ||
bhīṣmaṃ prati mahārāja ghorarūpaṃ bhayānakam ||
"Drona, having met the son of Panchala in the great battle, raised around himself a great mass of bent-jointed arrows. Then Drona, O great king, cut Parshata's great bow and wounded Dhrishtadyumna with fifty arrows. Parshata, slayer of enemy heroes, took another bow and, before Drona's very eyes, loosed his shafts in battle. But the great charioteer Drona checked them with clusters of arrows and sent five arrows into the son of Drupada. Then the enraged Parshata, slayer of enemy heroes, hurled at Drona a mace like the rod of Yama. Drona, with fifty arrows, stopped it in battle as it swooped down suddenly upon him, adorned with plates of gold. Cut into many pieces by arrows loosed from Drona's bow, it was shattered and scattered, and fell upon the ground. Seeing his mace destroyed, Parshata, destroyer of enemies, hurled at Drona a splendid shakti wholly of iron. Drona cut it with nine arrows in battle, O Bharata, and began to press the great bowman Parshata in the fight. Such, O great king, was that great battle between Drona and Parshata for Bhishma's sake, dreadful in form and terrible to behold."
aa856d5c2ecc · published Jul 17, 2026, 10:03:50 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Drona and Dhrishtadyumna meet as two poles of destiny: the teacher, and the one born for his death. Yet even now their duel is subordinated to Bhishma, and even personal karma becomes part of the wider course of the war.