Shloka 453
Droṇa’s Conditional Boon: The Plan to Capture Yudhiṣṭhira (द्रोणेन युधिष्ठिरग्रहणोपायः)
भीष्मद्रोणौ हतौ श्रुत्वा कि नु जीवामि संजय । संजय! लोकसम्मानित, अस्त्रविद्याके ज्ञाता तथा युद्धदुर्मद वीरवर भीष्म और द्रोणाचार्यके मारे जानेका समाचार सुनकर मैं किसलिये जीवित रहूँ?
bhīṣma-droṇau hatau śrutvā ki nu jīvāmi sañjaya | sañjaya! loka-sammānitau astravidyā-jñau tathā yuddha-durmadau vīra-varau bhīṣmaś ca droṇaś ca mṛtau iti vārttāṃ śrutvā ahaṃ kasmāt jīveyam |
Vaiśampāyana said: “O Sañjaya, having heard that Bhīṣma and Droṇa have been slain, why should I go on living? Sañjaya—those two foremost heroes, honored by the world, masters of the science of weapons, and fierce in the pride of battle—when I hear the report that Bhīṣma and Droṇa are dead, for what reason should I remain alive?”
वैशम्पायन उवाच