Shloka 25
द्रोणेन केकय-चेदि-वीरवधः
Droṇa’s engagements with the Kekayas and Cedis
ज्येष्ठस्य च शिर: कायात् क्षुरप्रेण न्न्यकृन्तत । स पपात हतः पृथ्व्यां वातरुग्ण इव द्रुम:,इसके बाद एक क्षुरप्रद्वारा बड़े भाई विन्दका मस्तक धड़से काट दिया। विन्द आँधीके उखाड़े हुए वृक्षके समान मरकर पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़ा
jyeṣṭhasya ca śiraḥ kāyāt kṣurapreṇa nyakṛntata | sa papāta hataḥ pṛthivyāṃ vātarugṇa iva drumaḥ ||
Sañjaya said: With a razor-edged weapon he severed the elder brother’s head from his body. Struck down, the warrior fell upon the earth like a tree broken by a violent wind.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the impermanence of bodily power and status: even the ‘elder’ falls instantly when struck. The simile of a wind-broken tree emphasizes how, in war, life can be ended abruptly, urging reflection on dharma, restraint, and the grave moral cost of violence.
Sañjaya reports a battlefield killing: a combatant uses a razor-edged weapon to sever the elder brother’s head from his body, and the slain warrior collapses to the ground like a tree snapped by a storm.