Shloka 21
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
तान् निहत्य शरान्द्रौणिदेश वीरानपोथयत्
tān nihatya śarān drauṇideśa vīrān apothayat
قال سنجيا: وبعد أن قتلهم بسهامه، أسقط ابنُ درونا محاربي تلك الناحية، وسحق مقاومتهم في زحمة القتال.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the relentless, escalating nature of battlefield action: once violence is unleashed, it tends to intensify, and each tactical success carries an ethical residue—death and suffering—that cannot be undone. It invites reflection on the moral weight borne by agents of war even when acting within a warrior’s role.
Sañjaya reports that Drauṇi (Aśvatthāman) kills opponents with arrows and then proceeds to fell other warriors in that area of the battlefield, indicating a surge of dominance and a rout-like pressure on the opposing side.