Shloka 363

Devanagari script

सरो हंसा इवापेतुर्घ्नन्तो द्रोणरथं प्रति । तदनन्तर अपनी भुजाओंसे सुशोभित होनेवाले पाण्डव सेनापतिकी आज्ञाका पालन करनेके लिये वहाँ द्रोणाचार्यके रथपर प्रहार करते हुए उसी प्रकार टूट पड़े, जैसे बहुत-से हंस किसी सरोवरपर सब ओरसे उड़कर आते हैं

Transliteration

saro-haṃsā ivāpetur ghnanto droṇa-rathaṃ prati | tad-anantaraṃ pāṇḍava-senāpaty-ājñāṃ pālayituṃ tatra droṇācārya-rathe prahārān kurvantaḥ samantād nipetuḥ, yathā bahavo haṃsāḥ sarasi samantād uḍḍīya samāgacchanti |

Translation

قال سنجيا: كما تتقاطر أسرابُ الإوزّ إلى بحيرةٍ من كلِّ جهة، اندفع المحاربون وضربوا عربةَ درونا. ثم ما لبثوا من فورهم—امتثالًا لأمر قائد الباندافا، المشهور بذراعين تلمعان قوةً وبهاءً—أن انقضّوا على عربة دروناآتشاريّا بضرباتٍ متتابعة، يطوّقونها من جميع النواحي.

Word by Word

सरःlake

हंसाःswans

इवlike/as

अपेतुःthey flew/they went away (came rushing)

घ्नन्तःstriking/smiting

द्रोणरथम्Drona's chariot

प्रतिtowards/against

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Droṇa’s chariot (droṇa-ratha)

Pāṇḍava commander-in-chief (pāṇḍava-senāpati)

Swans (haṃsa)

Lake (saras)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights disciplined execution of duty in war: warriors act in coordinated obedience to their commander’s order, even when the target is a venerable teacher like Droṇa. It points to the ethical tension of kṣatriya-duty—strategy and loyalty to one’s side can compel actions against respected elders.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a coordinated assault on Droṇa’s chariot. The attackers converge from all directions, compared to swans flying in toward a lake, and they strike repeatedly in order to fulfill the Pāṇḍava commander’s command.