Shloka 343
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
हतैश्न शूरैर्दिवमारुहद्धि- रायोधनं दिव्यकल्पं बभूव । देवताओं, गन्धर्वों, यक्षों, असुरेन्द्रों और अप्सराओंके समुदायसे भरा हुआ वह युद्धस्थल वहाँ मारे जाकर स्वर्गलोकपर आरूढ़ होनेवाले शूरवीरोंके द्वारा दिव्यलोक-सा जान पड़ता था
hataiḥ śūraiḥ divam āruhadbhir hi rāyodhanaṃ divya-kalpaṃ babhūva | devatā-gaṇḍharva-yakṣāsurendra-apsarā-samūha-saṃpūrṇaṃ tad yuddhasthalaṃ tatra hatair divam āruhadbhiḥ śūrair divyaloka-sadṛśaṃ babhūva ||
Sañjaya sprach: „Jenes Schlachtfeld, erfüllt von Scharen der Götter, Gandharvas, Yakṣas, der Herren der Asuras und der Apsaras, erschien wie ein göttliches Reich; denn man glaubte, die dort gefallenen Helden stiegen zum Himmel auf, und so nahm die Szene den Glanz einer jenseitigen Welt an.“
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse reflects the Mahābhārata’s kṣatriya ideal: those who fall as brave warriors in battle are envisioned as attaining heaven. It elevates martial death into a moral-cosmic framework, while implicitly reminding the listener that war’s horror is being interpreted through the promise of posthumous reward.
Sañjaya describes the battlefield as if it were a celestial realm, crowded with divine beings. The imagery arises because many heroes have been slain there, and their deaths are portrayed as an ascent to heaven, making the scene appear ‘divine’ despite the devastation.