Shloka 29
जैसे सूर्यकी किरणें सब ओर ताप प्रदान करती हुई फैल जाती हैं, उसी प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यके विशाल बाण सब ओर फैलते और शत्रुओंको संतप्त करते दिखायी देते थे ।। तस्मिन् द्रोणेन निहता: पञ्चाला: पञ्चविंशति: । महारथा: समाख्याता धृष्टद्युम्नस्य सम्मता:,उस युद्धमें द्रोणाचार्यके द्वारा पांचालोंके पचीस सुप्रसिद्ध महारथी मारे गये जो धृष्टद्युम्नको बहुत ही प्रिय थे
tatra sūryaraśmaya iva sarvato dāhaṃ vidadhānaḥ prasṛtā dṛśyante sma, tathā droṇācāryasya vipulāḥ śarāḥ sarvato vikirantaḥ śatrūn santāpayantaḥ pratyadṛśyanta | tasmin droṇena nihatāḥ pañcālāḥ pañcaviṃśatiḥ | mahārathāḥ samākhyātā dhṛṣṭadyumnasya sammatāḥ ||
Sañjaya reports that, as the sun’s rays spread in every direction and pour forth heat, so did Droṇa’s vast flights of arrows fan out on all sides, scorching the enemy ranks. In that battle, Droṇa slew twenty-five renowned Pañcāla mahārathas—warriors held in high esteem and especially dear to Dhṛṣṭadyumna.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: extraordinary skill (Droṇa’s all-pervading arrows) can produce vast, indiscriminate suffering, and victory is inseparable from grievous loss. It invites reflection on how martial excellence, when yoked to a destructive cause, magnifies the burden of adharma-like outcomes—death, grief, and the erosion of kinship bonds.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s arrows spreading in all directions like the sun’s scorching rays. In that phase of the battle, Droṇa slays twenty-five famed Pañcāla mahārathas—fighters especially valued by Dhṛṣṭadyumna—marking a severe blow to the Pañcāla contingent allied with the Pāṇḍavas.