Mahabharata 7.21.21 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 21

द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping

Devanagari script

स सत्यजितमालोक्य तथोदीर्ण महाहवे । अर्धचन्द्रेण चिच्छेद शिरस्तस्य महात्मन:,उस महासमरमें सत्यजितको प्रचण्ड होते देख द्रोणाचार्यने अर्धचन्द्राकार बाणके द्वारा उस महामनस्वी वीरका मस्तक काट डाला

Transliteration

sa satyajitam ālokya tathodīrṇa-mahāhave | ardhacandreṇa ciccheda śiras tasya mahātmanaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya sprach: Als Droṇācārya sah, wie Satyajit in jener großen Schlacht wütete, trennte er dem hochgesinnten Helden mit einem halbmondförmigen Pfeil den Kopf ab. Die Szene betont die brutale Endgültigkeit des Krieges, in dem selbst berühmte Tapferkeit auf eine plötzliche, unwiderrufliche Folge stößt.

Word by Word

• सः: he (Drona)
• सः: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सत्यजितम्: Satyajit
• सत्यजितम्: Karma
• Type: Noun (Proper)
• Root: सत्यजित्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• आलोक्य: having seen
• Type: Verb
• Root: आ + लोक्
• Form: क्त्वा (absolutive/gerund), Parasmaipada (usage)

• तथा: thus; in that manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: तथा

• उदीर्णम्: arisen; intensified; raging
• Type: Adjective
• Root: उद् + ईर्ण (from √ऋ/ईर् in sense 'rise/become intense')
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• महाहवे: in the great battle
• महाहवे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: महाहव
• Form: Masculine, Locative, Singular

• अर्धचन्द्रेण: with a half-moon (shaped arrow)
• अर्धचन्द्रेण: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अर्धचन्द्र
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• चिच्छेद: cut off; severed
• Type: Verb
• Root: छिद्
• Form: लिट् (perfect), Past (perfect), Third, Singular, Parasmaipada

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• तस्य: of him (Satyajit)
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

• महात्मनः: of the great-souled one
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: महात्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Satyajit
• Droṇācārya
• ardhacandra (crescent-shaped arrow/weapon)
• mahāhava (great battle)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the harsh ethical reality of battlefield dharma: valor and nobility do not guarantee safety, and a warrior’s skill can bring swift, final outcomes. It invites reflection on the tragic cost of conflict and the inevitability of consequence in war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇācārya, noticing Satyajit fighting with heightened ferocity in the great battle, strikes him with an ardhacandra (crescent-shaped) arrow and cuts off his head, killing him.