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Shloka 26

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

युवानमवहन्‌ युद्धे क्रौज्चवर्णा हयोत्तमा:

yuvānam avahan yuddhe krauñcavarṇā hayottamāḥ

Sañjaya sprach: Mitten im Kampf trugen vortreffliche Pferde von krauñca-gleicher Färbung den jungen Krieger voran — ein Bild, das zeigt, wie jugendlicher Mut in das harte Getriebe des Krieges getragen wird, wo Kraft und Schnelligkeit einer durch Pflicht und Zwietracht geformten Sache dienen.

युवानम्the young man
युवानम्:
Karma
TypeNoun/Adjective
Rootयुवन्
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
अवहन्carried/bore
अवहन्:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootवह्
FormImperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural
युद्धेin battle
युद्धे:
Adhikarana
TypeNoun
Rootयुद्ध
FormNeuter, Locative, Singular
क्रौञ्चवर्णाःhaving the color of a krauñca (bird)
क्रौञ्चवर्णाः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootक्रौञ्चवर्ण
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural
हयोत्तमाःexcellent horses
हयोत्तमाः:
Karta
TypeNoun/Adjective
Rootहयोत्तम
FormMasculine, Nominative, Plural

संजय उवाच

S
Sañjaya
Y
young warrior (yuvāna)
E
excellent horses (hayottamāḥ)
K
krauñca (crane/heron, as a color reference)

Educational Q&A

The verse highlights how personal qualities like youth and courage are propelled by instruments of war—here, swift horses—suggesting that valor operates within larger structures of duty and conflict, where ethical outcomes depend on the purpose to which such power is directed.

Sañjaya describes a battlefield movement: a young warrior is being carried forward in combat by superb horses described by their distinctive krauñca-like coloration, emphasizing speed, readiness, and the vivid immediacy of the war scene.