Shloka 24

Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

पीतानि शस्त्राण्यसगुक्षितानि वीरावधूतानि तनुच्छदानि । दीप्तां प्रभां प्राजनयन्त तत्र तपात्यये विद्युदिवान्तरिक्षे,पानीदार एवं खूनसे रँँगे हुए शस्त्र तथा वीरोंद्वारा कँपाये हुए कवच वहाँ प्रदीपोंके प्रतिबिम्ब ग्रहण करके वर्षाकालके आकाशमें चमकनेवाली बिजलीकी भाँति अत्यन्त उज्ज्वल प्रभा बिखेर रहे थे

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

pītāni śastrāṇy asaguṣṭitāni vīrāvadhūtāni tanucchadāni |

dīptāṃ prabhāṃ prājanayanta tatra tapātyaye vidyud ivāntarikṣe ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „Dort warfen Waffen, vom Blut und Schmutz gelblich verfärbt, und die Körperpanzer der Helden, im Getümmel erschüttert und zerschlagen, das Lampenlicht zurück und sandten eine lodernde Helle aus — wie Blitze, die am Ende der heißen Jahreszeit den Himmel durchzucken.“

Word by Word

पीतानिdrunk in / imbibed (i.e., soaked)

शस्त्राणिweapons

असगुक्षितानिnot well-polished / not well-cleaned (reading uncertain)

वीरावधूतानिshaken/brandished by heroes

तनुच्छदानिbody-coverings, armours

दीप्ताम्bright, blazing

प्रभाम्radiance, glow

प्राजनयन्तthey produced, generated

तत्रthere

तपात्ययेat the end of heat (i.e., at the onset of rains)

विद्युत्lightning

इवlike, as

अन्तरिक्षेin the sky

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

weapons (śastra)

armour/protective coverings (tanucchada)

lightning (vidyut)

sky (antarikṣa)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the paradox of war: even as weapons and armour are sullied and battered, they can appear dazzling—suggesting how violence can take on a deceptive splendour. Ethically, it invites reflection on the cost of kṣatriya conflict and the thin line between duty and devastation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes the battlefield scene: stained weapons and shaken armour gleam intensely, their reflected brilliance compared to lightning in the sky at the end of the hot season, heightening the dramatic atmosphere of the fighting.