Shloka 24
Droṇa’s Rebuke to Duryodhana after Jayadratha’s Fall (द्रोणेन दुर्योधनं प्रति प्रत्युक्तिः)
दृष्टी: संख्ये सैनिकानां प्रतिजघ्नु: समनन््ततः । वहाँ वीरोंके सुवर्णमय कवचोंकी प्रभाएँ सूर्यकी किरणोंसे उद्धासित हो युद्धस्थलमें सब ओर खड़े हुए सैनिकोंके नेत्रोंमें चकाचौंध पैदा कर रही थीं ।। २३ $ ।। तथा प्रयतमानानां पाण्डवानां महात्मनाम्
sañjaya uvāca | dṛṣṭīḥ saṅkhye sainikānāṃ pratijaghnur samanantataḥ | tatra vīrāṇāṃ suvarṇamaya-kavacānāṃ prabhāḥ sūrya-kiraṇair uddhāsitā yuddha-sthale sarvataḥ sthitānāṃ sainikānāṃ netreṣu cakācaundam ajanayan | tathā prayatamānānāṃ pāṇḍavānāṃ mahātmanām |
Sañjaya said: In the press of battle, the warriors’ golden cuirasses, flaring under the sun’s rays, struck the eyes of the soldiers on every side with dazzling glare across the field. And so, as the great-souled Pāṇḍavas strove on with full effort, the scene of war became a blinding spectacle—beauty and violence intertwined, where outward brilliance masks the grave moral cost of slaughter.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war can appear outwardly glorious—golden armor blazing in sunlight—yet that brilliance accompanies mass violence. It invites reflection on the ethical tension between heroic display and the human cost of battle, a recurring Mahābhārata concern when dharma is pursued amid destruction.
Sanjaya describes the battlefield scene: sunlight reflects off warriors’ golden armor, creating a blinding glare that dazzles soldiers’ eyes in all directions. The line then transitions to the continued strenuous effort of the great-souled Pāṇḍavas as the battle proceeds.