Mahabharata 7.21.44 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 44
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
क्रूरां शरीरसंघट्टां सादिनक्रां दुरत्ययाम् । द्रोण: प्रावर्तयत् तत्र नदीमन्तकगामिनीम्
sañjaya uvāca |
krūrāṃ śarīrasaṃghaṭṭāṃ sādinakrāṃ duratyayām |
droṇaḥ prāvartayat tatra nadīm antakagāminīm ||
Sañjaya sprach: Dort setzte Droṇa einen grausamen Strom der Schlacht in Bewegung—verstopft von zerquetschten Leibern, wimmelnd von Krokodilen und anderem Getier und nahezu unüberwindlich—einen Fluss, der die Menschen zu Antaka (dem Tod) selbst hinabtrug. Das Bild zeichnet das Schlachtfeld nicht als heroisches Spiel, sondern als moralische Katastrophe: Ist der Krieg erst entfesselt, wird er zur Strömung, die beide Seiten ins Verderben reißt, ungeachtet von Tapferkeit oder Absicht.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark metaphor—war as a death-bound river—to underline the ethical gravity of violence: once battle intensifies, it becomes an impersonal force that sweeps away lives on all sides, challenging any easy glorification of warfare.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Droṇa Parva: Droṇa’s tactics and ferocity make the battlefield resemble a terrifying river filled with bodies and predators, nearly impossible for warriors to ‘cross’—i.e., to survive or overcome.
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