Shloka 72

दुर्योधन-कर्ण-संवादः

Duryodhana–Karna Dialogue on Vyūha-bheda and Daiva

Devanagari script

तान्‌ समेतान्‌ रणे शूरांश्नेदिपणचालसृञ्जयान्‌ | समन्ताद्‌ द्रावयन्‌ द्रोणो बह्मशोभत मारिष,जिसके घोड़े और सारथि मार दिये गये थे, चेकितानके उस रथको देखकर तथा रणक्षेत्रमें एकत्र हुए चेदि, पांचाल तथा सूंजय वीरोंपर दृष्टिपात करके द्रोणाचार्यने उन सबको चारों ओर भगा दिया। आर्य! उस समय उनकी बड़ी शोभा हो रही थी

Transliteration

tān sametān raṇe śūrān cedipañcālasṛñjayān | samantād drāvayan droṇo brahmaśobhat mārīṣa ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Als Droṇācārya Cekitānas Streitwagen sah, dessen Pferde und Wagenlenker erschlagen waren, und seinen Blick auf die versammelten Helden der Cedi, Pañcāla und Sṛñjaya auf dem Schlachtfeld richtete, drängte er sie von allen Seiten zurück. O Ehrwürdiger, in jenem Augenblick leuchtete er in einem furchtgebietenden, beinahe heiligen Glanz — seine Kraft behauptete sich inmitten der harten Forderungen des Krieges.

Word by Word

• {'tān': 'those (men/warriors)', 'sametān': 'assembled, gathered together', 'raṇe': 'in battle, on the battlefield', 'śūrān': 'heroes, valiant warriors', 'cedi': 'the Cedi people/kingdom', 'pañcāla': 'the Pañcāla people/kingdom', 'sṛñjaya': 'the Sṛñjaya clan/warriors (often allied with Pañcālas)', 'samantāt': 'from all sides, on every side', 'drāvayan': 'driving away, routing, causing to flee', 'droṇaḥ': 'Droṇa (Droṇācārya)', 'brahma-śobhat': 'shone with brahman-like/sacred radiance

• splendid as if endowed with spiritual majesty', 'mārīṣa': 'O venerable one (address of respect)'}

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇa (Droṇācārya)
• Cekitāna
• Cedi warriors
• Pañcāla warriors
• Sṛñjaya warriors
• chariot
• horses
• charioteer
• battlefield

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how, in the pressure of war, a commander’s disciplined prowess and resolve can decisively shift the field. It also hints at the tension between sacred ideals (suggested by 'brahmaśobhat', a brahman-like radiance) and the violent necessities of battle—an ethical contrast central to the Mahābhārata’s portrayal of dharma under strain.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Droṇa observing Cekitāna’s chariot (with its horses and charioteer already killed) and then surveying the gathered Cedi, Pañcāla, and Sṛñjaya warriors. Droṇa attacks so effectively that he drives them away in all directions, appearing especially splendid and formidable at that moment.