Mahabharata 7.21.38 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 38
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
स शूर: सत्यवाक् प्राज्ञो बलवान् सत्यविक्रम: । महानुभाव: कल्पान्ते रौद्रां भीरुविभीषणाम्
sa śūraḥ satyavāk prājño balavān satyavikramaḥ | mahānubhāvaḥ kalpānte raudrāṃ bhīruvibhīṣaṇām ||
Sañjaya sprach: Jener Held — wahrhaftig im Wort, weise, stark und unbeirrbar tapfer — Droṇa von großer Macht, ließ auf dem Schlachtfeld einen schrecklichen Strom anschwellen, wie eine Flut am Ende der Zeiten, furchtbar für die Zaghaften. Dort war der Krieg nicht bloß Siegesjagd, sondern eine Katastrophe, die das Urteilsvermögen überflutete und Leben unterschiedslos fortspülte, erschreckend für alle, denen die Härte fehlt, seine Folgen zu tragen.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses end-of-the-world imagery to underline the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under the banner of kṣatriya duty, violence can become a consuming force that terrifies the weak and overwhelms ordinary moral sensibilities. It cautions the listener to see war’s true cost, not only its strategic outcomes.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra, describing a leading warrior’s fearsome impact on the battlefield. The hero is praised for truthfulness, wisdom, strength, and valor, and his actions are portrayed as unleashing a dreadful, kalpānta-like devastation that frightens the faint-hearted.
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