Shloka 31

धृतराष्ट्रविलापः — Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Lament and Inquiry (Śalya-parva, Adhyāya 2)

Devanagari script

शिखण्डिनं समासाद्य मृगेन्द्र इव जम्बुकम्‌ । द्रोणश्न ब्राह्मणो यत्र सर्वशस्त्रास्त्रपारग:

Transliteration

Śikhaṇḍinaṁ samāsādya mṛgendra iva jambukam | Droṇaś ca brāhmaṇo yatra sarvaśastrāstrapāragaḥ ||

Translation

Dhṛtarāṣṭra sprach: „Als er Śikhaṇḍin entgegentrat wie ein Löwenkönig einem Schakal, da stand Droṇa—der Brahmane—vollendet kundig in jeder Waffe und jedem Geschoss.“

Word by Word

शिखण्डिनम्Shikhaṇḍin (as object)

समासाद्यhaving approached/attacked

मृगेन्द्रःthe lord of beasts (lion)

इवlike/as

जम्बुकम्a jackal

द्रोणःDroṇa

ब्राह्मणःthe Brahmin

यत्रwhere

सर्वशस्त्रास्त्रपारगःone who has mastered all weapons and missiles

Speaker

धघतयाट्र उवाच

Characters & Entities

Śikhaṇḍin

Droṇa

lion (mṛgendra)

jackal (jambuka)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights the ethical strain of dharma in war: even a Brahmin teacher famed for mastery of arms can be compelled into lethal action, and the choice of opponent (strong vs. vulnerable) carries moral weight. It invites reflection on how role, duty, and conscience conflict amid battlefield necessity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Dhṛtarāṣṭra describes Droṇa confronting Śikhaṇḍin with overwhelming superiority, likening the encounter to a lion closing on a jackal. The focus is on Droṇa’s formidable expertise in all weapons and the intimidating imbalance implied by the simile.