अथान्यद् धनुर् आदाय शैशुपालिर् महारथः ॥
विव्याध सायकैर् द्रोणं पुनः सुनिशितैर् दृढैः ॥
तस्य द्रोणो हयान् हत्वा सारथिं च महाबलः ॥
अथैनं पञ्चविंशत्या सायकानां समार्पयत् ॥
विरथो विधनुष्कश् च चेदिराजो ऽपि संयुगे ॥
गदां चिक्षेप संक्रुद्धो भारद्वाजरथं प्रति ॥
athānyad dhanur ādāya śaiśupālir mahārathaḥ ||
vivyādha sāyakair droṇaṃ punaḥ suniśitair dṛḍhaiḥ ||
tasya droṇo hayān hatvā sārathiṃ ca mahābalaḥ ||
athainaṃ pañcaviṃśatyā sāyakānāṃ samārpayat ||
viratho vidhanuṣkaś ca cedirājo 'pi saṃyuge ||
gadāṃ cikṣepa saṃkruddho bhāradvājarathaṃ prati ||
Then, taking up another bow, the son of Shishupala, the great warrior, pierced Drona again with well-honed, firm arrows. Drona, the mighty one, having slain his horses and his charioteer, then overwhelmed him with twenty-five arrows. Chariotless and bowless, the king of Chedi, even so, in battle hurled a mace, enraged, at the chariot of the son of Bharadvaja.
e838857fdd09 · published Jul 19, 2026, 4:17:33 PM UTC
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Stripped of horses, bow, and chariot, Dhrishtaketu does not yield but seizes a mace: valor does not lay down its arms until the very end. It is telling that even the doomed fight on to the last. The verse teaches that the noble one fights as long as he can, never contemplating surrender: stripped of everything, he takes up what remains, for a warrior's honor lies not in the outcome but in not yielding while strength endures.