Shloka 24
द्रोणेन निहतास्तत्र क्षत्रिया बहवो रणे । विचेष्टन्तो हादृश्यन्त व्याधिक्लिष्टा नरा इव,द्रोणाचार्यके मारे हुए बहुत-से क्षत्रिय रणभूमिमें व्याधिग्रस्त मनुष्योंकी भाँति छटपटाते हुए दिखायी देते थे
droṇena nihatās tatra kṣatriyā bahavo raṇe | viceṣṭanto hādṛśyanta vyādhikliṣṭā narā iva ||
Sañjaya said: There on the battlefield, many kṣatriya warriors, struck down by Droṇa, were seen writhing and struggling—like men tormented by disease.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the immediate human cost of warfare: even when combat is framed as duty, its visible outcome is intense suffering. It invites ethical reflection on violence—how ‘dharma’ in war does not erase the reality of pain endured by living beings.
Sañjaya reports that many kṣatriya warriors, struck down by Droṇa in the battle, are seen still moving and writhing on the field, compared to people afflicted by disease—an image emphasizing the brutality and aftermath of Droṇa’s onslaught.