Shloka 37
अध्याय १५९ — रात्रौ श्रमविरामः
Night Exhaustion and Brief Pause in Battle
प्रादुश्चक्रेउस्त्रमैन्द्र वै प्राजापत्यं च भारत । जिधघांसुर्धर्मतनयं तव पुत्रहिते रत:,भारत! द्रोणाचार्यने अपनी प्रतिज्ञाको सच्ची करनेकी इच्छासे आपके पुत्रके हितमें तत्पर हो धर्मपुत्र युधिष्ठिककों मार डालनेकी अभिलाषा लेकर उनके ऊपर ऐन्द्र और प्राजापत्य नामक अस्त्रोंका प्रयोग किया
sañjaya uvāca |
prāduścakre 'stram aindraṃ vai prājāpatyaṃ ca bhārata |
jighāṃsur dharmatanayaṃ tava putrahite rataḥ ||
Sañjaya said: O Bhārata, intent on slaying Dharmarāja Yudhiṣṭhira and devoted to the welfare of your son, Droṇācārya brought forth and employed the Aindra weapon and the Prājāpatya weapon, seeking to make his vow come true.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical strain of war: even revered teachers may invoke overwhelming power to fulfill a pledge and secure a partisan objective. It invites reflection on how vows, loyalty, and the pursuit of victory can conflict with dharma when the target is the embodiment of righteousness (Dharmatanaya).
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇācārya, acting for the benefit of Duryodhana and intent on killing Yudhiṣṭhira, deploys two powerful divine missiles—the Aindra and the Prājāpatya astras—escalating the battle with high-grade celestial weaponry.