Shloka 17
स्त्री-विलापः — गान्धार्याः रणभूमिदर्शनं शापवचनं च
Battlefield Lament and Gāndhārī’s Curse
द्रोणेन द्रुपदं संख्ये पश्य माधव पातितम् | महाद्विपमिवारण्ये सिंहेन महता हतम्
droṇena drupadaṃ saṅkhye paśya mādhava pātitam | mahādvipam ivāraṇye siṃhena mahatā hatam
Vaiśampāyana sprach: „Sieh, o Mādhava: Drupada ist mitten im Kampfgetümmel von Droṇa zu Boden gestreckt worden — wie ein großer Elefant im Wald, den ein mächtiger Löwe niederwirft.“
वैशम्पायन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the fragility of worldly stature in war: even a powerful king can be suddenly brought down. Through the lion–elephant simile, it highlights how conflict reduces human relationships and status to raw force and irreversible loss, inviting reflection on the ethical cost of vengeance and battle.
Vaiśampāyana points out to Mādhava (Kṛṣṇa) that Drupada has been felled in combat by Droṇa. The event is presented with a vivid comparison: Drupada lies like a great elephant killed by a mighty lion in the forest.