Shloka 43
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 155 — Ghaṭotkaca-nidhana-śoka and Karṇa-śakti-vyaya
Kṛṣṇa’s strategic reassurance
तान् द्रोण: प्रतिजग्राह परीप्सन् कुरुसत्तमम् | चण्डवातोदधुतान् मेघान् निघ्नन् रश्मिमुचो यथा,यह देख विजयाभिलाषी पांचाल सैनिक तुरंत ही उसका सामना करनेके लिये आगे बढ़े; परंतु कुरुश्रेष्ठ दुर्योधनकी रक्षाके लिये द्रोणाचार्यने उन सबको उसी तरह नष्ट कर दिया, जैसे प्रचण्ड वायुद्वारा उठाये हुए मेघोंको सूर्यदेव नष्ट कर देते हैं
sañjaya uvāca |
tān droṇaḥ pratijagrāha parīpsan kurusattamam |
caṇḍavātoddhutān meghān nighnan raśmimucaḥ yathā ||
Sañjaya sprach: Um den Vornehmsten unter den Kurus zu schützen, stellte Droṇa sich jenen Kriegern entgegen und schlug sie nieder—wie die Sonne, Spenderin der Strahlen, die Wolken zerstreut, die ein wilder Wind emporgeworfen hat.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse foregrounds the warrior-ethic of protection: Droṇa acts with the intent to safeguard his side’s foremost leader. It also cautions that in war, superior force can overwhelm collective effort, like the sun effortlessly dispersing wind-driven clouds—raising ethical reflection on power, responsibility, and the cost of martial duty.
Pañcāla-aligned fighters surge forward to engage, but Droṇa steps in to defend Duryodhana and destroys their advance. Sañjaya frames Droṇa’s action through a vivid simile: the sun scattering clouds driven up by a violent wind.