Mahabharata 7.173.46 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 173, Shloka 46

Śiva’s Battlefield Manifestation and Vyāsa’s Śatarudrīya Exposition (शिवप्रादुर्भावः शतरुद्रीयव्याख्यानम्)

Devanagari script

तन्निधाय धनुर्भूमौ द्रोण: क्षत्रियमर्दन:

Transliteration

tan nidhāya dhanur bhūmau droṇaḥ kṣatriya-mardanaḥ

Translation

قال سانجيا: بعدما وضع دْرونا—ساحقَ المحاربين—قوسَه على الأرض، توقّف هنيهة؛ وهي إشارة إلى تحوّلٍ حاسم في المناخ الأخلاقي والعاطفي للمعركة: فإلقاء السلاح لحظةً يلمّح إلى الإعياء، أو ضبط النفس، أو انطواءٍ إلى الداخل وسط مطالب واجب الكشاتريا التي لا تهدأ.

Word by Word

• tat: that (it)
• tat: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• nidhāya: having placed
• Type: Verb
• Root: ni-√dhā
• Form: Lyap (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage), having placed/laid down

• dhanuḥ: bow
• dhanuḥ: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhanus
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• bhūmau: on the ground
• bhūmau: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhūmi
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• droṇaḥ: Droṇa
• droṇaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: droṇa
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• kṣatriya-mardanaḥ: crusher/slayer of kṣatriyas
• kṣatriya-mardanaḥ: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: kṣatriya-mardana
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa
• bow (dhanuḥ)
• ground/earth (bhūmi)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even in war, actions like laying aside a weapon can mark a moral inflection—suggesting restraint, fatigue, or a deliberate pause—reminding readers that kṣatriya-duty is not merely violence but disciplined conduct under extreme pressure.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa places his bow on the ground, indicating a brief cessation or change in his immediate combat posture, often read as a significant moment within the unfolding battle events of Droṇa Parva.