ततो द्रोणो भृशं क्रुद्धो धर्मराजस्य मारिष ॥
चतुर्भिर् निशितैस् तीक्ष्णैर् हयाञ् जघ्ने शरोत्तमैः ॥
धनुश् चैकेन बाणेन चिच्छेदेन्द्रध्वजोपमम् ॥
केतुम् एकेन चिच्छेद पाण्डवं चार्दयत् त्रिभिः ॥
हताश्वात् तु रथात् तूर्णम् अवप्लुत्य युधिष्ठिरः ॥
तस्थाव् ऊर्ध्वभुजो राजा व्यायुधो भरतर्षभ ॥
विरथं तं समालोक्य व्यायुधं च विशेषतः ॥
द्रोणो व्यमोहयच् छत्रून् सर्वसैन्यानि चाभिभो ॥
मुञ्चन्न् इषुगणांस् तीक्ष्णांल् लघुहस्तो दृढव्रतः ॥
अभिदुद्राव राजानं सिंहो मृगम् इवोल्बणः ॥
tato droṇo bhṛśaṃ kruddho dharmarājasya māriṣa ||
caturbhir niśitais tīkṣṇair hayāñ jaghne śarottamaiḥ ||
dhanuś caikena bāṇena cicchedendradhvajopamam ||
ketum ekena ciccheda pāṇḍavaṃ cārdayat tribhiḥ ||
hatāśvāt tu rathāt tūrṇam avaplutya yudhiṣṭhiraḥ ||
tasthāv ūrdhvabhujo rājā vyāyudho bharatarṣabha ||
virathaṃ taṃ samālokya vyāyudhaṃ ca viśeṣataḥ ||
droṇo vyamohayac chatrūn sarvasainyāni cābhibho ||
muñcann iṣugaṇāṃs tīkṣṇāṃl laghuhasto dṛḍhavrataḥ ||
abhidudrāva rājānaṃ siṃho mṛgam ivolbaṇaḥ ||
Then Drona, greatly enraged at the King of Dharma, O venerable one, with four sharp, honed, finest arrows slew the horses, and with a single arrow cut the bow that resembled Indra's banner; with another arrow he cut the standard, and with three more he afflicted the Pandava. Leaping swiftly down from the chariot whose horses were slain, King Yudhishthira stood with arms raised, unarmed, O bull among the Bharatas. Beholding him chariotless and, above all, unarmed, Drona threw the enemies and all the armies into confusion, O lord; loosing swarms of sharp arrows, nimble-handed, steadfast in his vow, he rushed upon the king like a fierce lion upon a deer.
c06eabda8305 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:02:22 PM UTC
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'Dṛḍhavrata' — steadfast in his vow: Drona strains to fulfill the word he gave Duryodhana — to take the king alive — and so he charges 'siṃho mṛgam iva,' like a lion upon a deer. Yudhishthira, meanwhile, stands 'ūrdhvabhujaḥ… vyāyudhaḥ,' unarmed, with arms raised — an image of the righteous man's defenselessness in the hour when his protector is far away. It is telling that faithfulness to a vow made in an unjust cause turns into a storm over the innocent. The verse teaches that a vow given to wrong drives even a worthy man to an unworthy deed; firmness of word is good only where the word itself is right.