Shloka 17
Abhimanyunidhana-prakāśaḥ — Vasudeva–Kṛṣṇa–Subhadrā–Kuntī śoka-saṃvāda
Disclosure and Consolation
तस्मिंस्ते पृथिवीपाला द्रोणपार्षतसंगरे । नानादिगागता वीरा: प्रायशो निधनं गता:,धृष्टद्युम्न और द्रोणके उस भीषण संग्राममें नाना दिशाओंसे आये हुए भूपाल अधिक संख्यामें मारे गये
tasmiṁs te pṛthivīpālā droṇapārṣata-saṅgare | nānā-dig-āgatā vīrāḥ prāyaśo nidhanaṁ gatāḥ ||
Vāsudeva said: In that dreadful battle between Droṇa and the son of Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna), many warrior-kings who had come from various directions met their end in great numbers. The verse lays bare the sweeping, indiscriminate cost of war: even rulers drawn from far and wide are carried away by the momentum of violence, reminding the listener of the grave ethical weight borne by those who unleash or sustain such conflict.
वासुदेव उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral gravity and vast human cost of war: even powerful kings from many lands are swept into destruction. It implicitly cautions that martial glory is inseparable from widespread suffering and loss, urging reflection on responsibility and restraint.
Vāsudeva recalls the fierce confrontation involving Droṇa and Dhṛṣṭadyumna (called Pārṣata). In that conflict, numerous warrior-kings who had assembled from different directions were killed in large numbers.