Shloka 28
रात्रौ युद्धप्रवृत्तिः — Night Battle Begins; Duryodhana’s Protective Orders for Droṇa
Droṇa-parva 139
शोणितादिग्धवाजाग्रा: सप्त हेमपरिष्कृता: । पुत्राणां तव राजेन्द्र पीत्वा शोणितमुद्गता:,राजेन्द्र! वे सुवर्णभूषित सातों बाण आपके पुत्रोंका रक्त पीकर लाल हो ऊपरको उछले थे। उनके पंख और अग्रभागोंपर अधिक रक्त जम गया था
śoṇitādigdha-vājāgrāḥ sapta hema-pariṣkṛtāḥ | putrāṇāṃ tava rājendra pītvā śoṇitam udgatāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “O king, seven arrows, their tips smeared with blood and adorned with gold, sprang upward after drinking the blood of your sons.” The image underscores the grim momentum of battle—violence feeding upon itself—while reminding the listener that royal ambition and attachment can culminate in irreversible loss.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse conveys the ethical horror and inevitability of war’s escalation: once violence is unleashed, it ‘feeds’ on blood and multiplies suffering. It implicitly critiques attachment to power and lineage, showing how such attachment can end in the destruction of one’s own sons.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that seven gold-adorned arrows, their tips drenched in blood, have struck and risen again—metaphorically described as ‘drinking’ the blood of Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s sons—indicating severe casualties among the Kauravas in the Drona Parva battle.