Shloka 31
भीष्मपर्व — अध्याय ७२: सैन्यगुणवर्णनम्, व्यूहरक्षा, दैव-पुरुषकारचिन्ता
शिखण्डी तु समासाद्य द्रोणं शस्त्रभूृतां वरम् । अवर्जयत संत्रस्तो युगान्ताग्निमिवोल्बणम्
śikhaṇḍī tu samāsādya droṇaṁ śastrabhṛtāṁ varam | avarjayat saṁtrasto yugāntāgnim ivolbaṇam ||
Sañjaya sprach: Doch als Śikhaṇḍī Droṇa gegenüberstand, dem Vorzüglichsten unter den Waffenträgern, wurde er von Furcht ergriffen und wandte sich ab, wie man vor einem lodernden Feuer am Ende eines Weltzeitalters zurückweicht.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the psychological reality of battle: fear can overwhelm even a warrior’s resolve when confronted with extraordinary power. Ethically, it points to the strain between one’s role-duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and the human impulse to preserve oneself amid catastrophic danger.
Sañjaya describes Śikhaṇḍī encountering Droṇa on the battlefield. Seeing Droṇa’s formidable presence, Śikhaṇḍī becomes frightened and avoids or withdraws from direct engagement, compared to recoiling from the terrifying cosmic fire of the world’s end.