Shloka 47
Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)
न द्रोण: सह सैन्येन कृतवर्मा च संयुगे
na droṇaḥ saha sainyena kṛtavarmā ca saṁyuge
Yudhiṣṭhira said: “Neither Droṇa, even with his army, nor Kṛtavarmā in the thick of battle…” (The utterance conveys a tense moral and strategic assessment: even renowned warriors and their forces are being weighed against the unfolding calamity of war, where prowess alone cannot guarantee a righteous or favorable outcome.)
युधिछिर उवाच
Educational Q&A
The fragment underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: celebrated martial strength and numerical force do not by themselves secure a just or successful outcome. In war, decisions and consequences are judged not only by power but by dharma, intention, and the moral cost borne by all sides.
Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in the context of the Drona Parva’s intense battlefield developments. He refers to Droṇa (with his forces) and Kṛtavarmā in combat, indicating an evaluation of key Kaurava-aligned warriors amid a rapidly shifting and perilous war situation; the line as given is syntactically incomplete and likely continues in the next pāda/verse in the source.