Shloka 28
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
सुतसोम॑ तु यः सौम्यं पार्थ: पुत्रमजीजनत् । माषपुष्पसवर्णास्तमवहन् वाजिनो रणे
sutasomaṁ tu yaḥ saumyaṁ pārthaḥ putram ajījanat | māṣapuṣpasavarṇās tam avahan vājino raṇe ||
Sañjaya sprach: O Sanftmütiger, der Sohn, den Pārtha (Arjuna) zeugte — Sutasoma genannt — wurde im Kampf von Pferden getragen, deren Farbe den māṣa-Blüten glich. Der Vers betont, dass selbst mitten in der Gewalt des Krieges Abstammung, Identität und die sichtbaren Zeichen des Gespanns weiterhin Merkmale von Pflicht und Wiedererkennen auf dem Schlachtfeld sind.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the midst of war, a warrior’s identity and duty are affirmed through lineage and the visible emblems of battle (such as the chariot’s horses). It reflects the Mahābhārata’s recurring concern with recognizing persons and responsibilities even amid chaos.
Sañjaya identifies Sutasoma, the son fathered by Arjuna, and notes that in the battle he is borne along by horses of a distinctive dark hue likened to māṣa-flowers—an observational detail typical of battlefield narration.