Shloka 9
Somadatta–Sātyaki Engagement; Bhīma’s Interventions; Droṇa–Yudhiṣṭhira Astra Exchange
Book 7, Chapter 132
कथं द्रोणो जित: संख्ये धनुर्वेदस्य पारग: । इत्येवं ब्रुवते योधा अश्रद्धेयमिदं तव,'सारे योद्धा यह कह रहे हैं कि धनुर्वेदके पारंगत आचार्य द्रोण कैसे युद्धमें पराजित हो गये। आपका यह हारना लोगोंके लिये अविश्वसनीय हो गया है
kathaṁ droṇo jitaḥ saṅkhye dhanurvedasya pāragāḥ | ityevaṁ bruvate yodhā aśraddheyam idaṁ tava ||
Sañjaya said: “How could Droṇa—master of the science of archery—be defeated in battle?” Thus the warriors speak; to them, this report of your defeat seems scarcely believable.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even the most renowned expert can fall when conditions, strategy, and fate converge; clinging to reputations of invincibility clouds discernment. The verse highlights how disbelief and rumor affect collective morale and ethical judgment in wartime.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that the warriors are astonished and openly questioning how Droṇa, celebrated as a supreme master of archery, could have been defeated in the battlefield, treating the news as nearly unbelievable.