Shloka 40
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
तानि नागसहस्राणि रथानामयुतानि च,उस प्रदोषकालमें अकेले द्रोणाचार्यने अपने नाराचोंद्वारा एक हजार हाथी, दस हजार रथ तथा लाखों-करोड़ों पैदल एवं घुड़सवार नष्ट कर दिये
tāni nāgasahasrāṇi rathānām ayutāni ca | tasmin pradoṣakāle kevalena droṇācāryeṇa svanārācair ekaṃ sahasraṃ hastinaḥ daśa sahasrāṇi rathāḥ lakṣakoṭyaḥ padātayaś ca aśvārūḍhāś ca vināśitāḥ ||
Sañjaya sprach: In jener Dämmerstunde vernichtete Droṇa ganz allein mit seinen scharfen Pfeilen tausend Elefanten, zehntausend Wagen und unzählige Fußsoldaten und Reiter—ein Bericht, der sowohl die furchterregende Wirksamkeit kriegerischer Kunst als auch den ungeheuren menschlichen Preis hervorhebt, den der Krieg fordert, wenn das Dharma bereits von Rachsucht und Rivalität verdunkelt ist.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the catastrophic scale of war: extraordinary personal prowess can magnify destruction, reminding the listener that when conflict is pursued beyond restraint, the ethical cost (loss of life and balance of dharma) becomes immeasurable.
Sañjaya reports that at dusk Drona, fighting single-handedly, uses his nārāca arrows to annihilate vast numbers of the opposing forces—elephants, chariots, infantry, and cavalry—emphasizing the intensity of the battle in the Droṇa Parva.