युवराजस् तु विंशत्या द्रौणिं विव्याध पत्रिणाम् ॥
पार्थश् च पुनर् अष्टाभिस् तथा सर्वे त्रिभिस् त्रिभिः ॥
ततो ऽर्जुनं षड्भिर् अथाजघान; द्रौणायनिर् दशभिर् वासुदेवम् ॥
भीमं दशार्धैर् युवराजं चतुर्भिर्; द्वाभ्यां छित्त्वा कार्मुकं च ध्वजं च ॥
पुनः पार्थं शरवर्षेण विद्ध्वा; द्रौणिर् घोरं सिंहनादं ननाद ॥
yuvarājas tu viṃśatyā drauṇiṃ vivyādha patriṇām ||
pārthaś ca punar aṣṭābhis tathā sarve tribhis tribhiḥ ||
tato 'rjunaṃ ṣaḍbhir athājaghāna; drauṇāyanir daśabhir vāsudevam ||
bhīmaṃ daśārdhair yuvarājaṃ caturbhir; dvābhyāṃ chittvā kārmukaṃ ca dhvajaṃ ca ||
punaḥ pārthaṃ śaravarṣeṇa viddhvā; drauṇir ghoraṃ siṃhanādaṃ nanāda ||
The crown prince, however, pierced Drauni with twenty arrows, and Partha [Arjuna] again with eight, and likewise all the rest with three each. Then Drauni [the son of Drona] struck Arjuna with six, Vasudeva with ten, Bhima with five, the crown prince with four, severing his bow and banner with two; piercing Partha again with a rain of arrows, Drauni let out a terrible lion's roar.
d27b16bfa9a5 · published Jul 19, 2026, 5:12:46 PM UTC
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Ashvatthaman answers each of his opponents individually and crowns it with a terrible lion's roar: he does not yield even under the fivefold assault. It is telling that he showers even Krishna and Arjuna with arrows -- bowing before none. The verse teaches that desperate valor, knowing no fear, can withstand even the mightiest; but a cry of triumph over all at once is also a challenge to fate itself -- and even the greatest cannot overcome that.