Shloka 45
वासवी-शक्तेः प्रयोगः, घटोत्कच-वधोत्तर-शोकः, व्यासोपदेशश्च
The Vāsavī Spear’s Use, Post-Ghaṭotkaca Grief, and Vyāsa’s Counsel
तस्य तस्य शिरकश्शकछित्त्वा ययुद्रोणशरा:क्षितिम् जो-जो योद्धा पुरुष द्रोणाचार्यके सामने खड़ा होता, उसी-उसीका सिर काटकर द्रोणाचार्यके बाण धरतीमें समा जाते थे || ४४ ई || एवं सा पाण्डवी सेना वध्यमाना महात्मना
sañjaya uvāca |
tasya tasya śiraḥ kṛtvā chittvā yayuḥ droṇaśarāḥ kṣitim |
yo yo yoddhā puruṣaḥ droṇācāryaṃ samabhavat sammukhaḥ sthitaḥ | tasya tasya śiraś chittvā droṇācāryasya śarāḥ kṣitim samāviśan ||
evaṃ sā pāṇḍavī senā vadhyamānā mahātmanā ... ||
Sañjaya said: Whoever—each and every warrior—stood facing Droṇācārya, his head was cut down, and Droṇa’s arrows, having accomplished their work, sank into the earth. Thus the Pāṇḍava host, being slain by that great-souled warrior, continued to be devastated. The passage underscores the terrifying efficiency of martial skill when yoked to duty in war, while also hinting at the moral weight of mass slaughter even when performed under the banner of kṣatriya obligation.
सयजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and resolve in war can produce overwhelming destruction; it implicitly invites reflection on the ethical gravity of violence even when carried out as a warrior’s duty (kṣatriya-dharma).
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s lethal dominance: any warrior who confronts him is beheaded, and Droṇa’s arrows then sink into the ground, as the Pāṇḍava forces are steadily cut down.