Shloka 356

Devanagari script

यादृशं द्रोणपुत्रेण सृष्टमस्त्रममर्षिणा । राजन! अमर्षमें भरे हुए द्रोणपुत्रने जैसे अस्त्रकी सृष्टि की थी, वैसा हमलोगोंने पहले न तो कभी देखा था और न सुना ही था

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yādṛśaṃ droṇaputreṇa sṛṣṭam astram amarṣiṇā | rājan na tad asmābhir bhūtapūrvaṃ kadācana dṛṣṭaṃ na śrutaṃ ca ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: „O König, die Waffe, die der Sohn Droṇas, von unbändigem Zorn getrieben, entfesselte, war von solcher Art, dass wir sie zuvor weder gesehen noch auch nur von ihr gehört hatten.“

Word by Word

यादृशम्such as; of what kind

द्रोणपुत्रेणby Droṇa's son (Aśvatthāman)

सृष्टम्created; discharged

अस्त्रम्weapon; missile

अमर्षिणाby the wrathful one

राजन्O king

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sanjaya

Dhritarashtra

Drona-putra (Ashvatthama)

astra (weapon)

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 highlights how anger (amarṣa) can drive even trained warriors to unleash extreme, unprecedented force, warning that loss of restraint in war leads to moral and practical catastrophe. It implicitly contrasts dharmic self-control with destructive escalation.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to King Dhritarashtra that Aśvatthāmā, Drona’s son, has discharged a formidable astra. Its power and nature are so extraordinary that the observers claim they have never seen or even heard of anything like it before.