Shloka 51

Devanagari script

सा छिन्ना बहुधा राजन्‌ द्रोणचापच्युतैः शरै: । चूर्णीकृता विशीर्यन्ती पपात वसुधातले,राजन! द्रोणाचार्यके धनुषसे छूटे हुए उन बाणोंद्वारा नाना प्रकारसे छिन्न-भिन्न हुई वह गदा चूर-चूर होकर पृथ्वीपर बिखर गयी

Transliteration

sā chinnā bahudhā rājan droṇacāpacyutaiḥ śaraiḥ | cūrṇīkṛtā viśīryantī papāta vasudhātale ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: O König, jene Keule, von den aus Droṇas Bogen geschossenen Pfeilen in viele Stücke zerschnitten, wurde zu Staub zermalmt; zerfallend und sich zerstreuend fiel sie auf die Erde. Die Szene betont die unerbittliche Wirksamkeit kriegerischer Kunst: Selbst eine furchtbare Waffe wird nutzlos gemacht und mahnt an die Zerbrechlichkeit der Macht und die schnellen Wendungen, die Gewalt bringt.

Word by Word

साshe/that (f.)

छिन्नाcut, severed

बहुधाin many ways, repeatedly

राजन्O king

द्रोणof Droṇa

चापfrom the bow

च्युतैःreleased, fallen forth

शरैःby arrows

चूर्णीकृताpulverized, reduced to powder

विशीर्यन्तीbreaking apart, scattering

पपातfell

वसुधा-तलेon the surface of the earth/ground

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Dhṛtarāṣṭra

Droṇa

bow (cāpa)

arrows (śara)

mace (gadā)

earth/ground (vasudhā)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even the mightiest instruments of force can be swiftly destroyed; the verse highlights the instability of worldly power in war and invites reflection on the costs and reversals inherent in violence, despite adherence to martial duty.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that a mace (gadā) has been struck by numerous arrows shot from Droṇa’s bow, cut into pieces, pulverized, and scattered as it falls to the ground.