Shloka 19
Adhyāya 108 — Nimitta-darśana and Drona’s counsel amid Arjuna’s advance (निमित्तदर्शनं द्रोणोपदेशश्च)
ते निपेतुर्महाराज निहता दृढ्धन्विभि:
te nipetur mahārāja nihatā dṛḍhadhanvibhiḥ
Sañjaya said: O King, those warriors, struck down by the steadfast archers, fell to the ground—an image of battle’s grim certainty, where skill and resolve bring swift consequence and the field becomes a witness to the cost of conflict.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the inevitability of consequences in war: steadfast skill and intent lead to decisive outcomes, while the battlefield reveals the heavy moral and human cost that accompanies kṣatriya duty.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that certain fighters have been struck down by resolute archers and have fallen on the battlefield, continuing the live account of the Kurukṣetra combat.