Shloka 17
Droṇanidhana-anantaraṃ sainya-viṣādaḥ and Karṇa-pravṛttiḥ
After Droṇa’s fall: army despondency and Karṇa’s advance
त्रैलोक्ये यस्य चास्त्रेषु न पुमान् विद्यते सम: । त॑ द्रोणं निहत॑ श्रुत्वा किमकुर्वत मामका:,तीनों लोकोंमें दूसरा कोई पुरुष जिनके समान अस्त्रवेत्ता नहीं है, उन द्रोणाचार्यको मारा गया सुनकर मेरे पुत्रोंने क्या किया?
trailokye yasya cāstreṣu na pumān vidyate samaḥ | taṁ droṇaṁ nihataṁ śrutvā kim akurvata māmakāḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „In den drei Welten gibt es keinen Mann, der ihm in der Waffenlehre gleichkäme. Als ich hörte, dass Droṇa erschlagen worden war, was taten da meine Söhne?“
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral shock of war: even the most unrivaled master of arms can fall, forcing leaders to confront impermanence, the limits of power, and the ethical weight of continuing a conflict after revered elders are destroyed.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra, hearing that Droṇa—considered unmatched in weapon-lore across the three worlds—has been killed, anxiously asks Sañjaya what his sons (the Kauravas) did in response to this devastating news on the battlefield.