Shloka 43

Devanagari script

ततः प्रमुच्य कौन्तेयं द्रोणो द्रुपदवाहिनीम्‌ | व्यधमत्‌ क्रोधताम्राक्षो वायव्यास्त्रेण भारत,भारत! उस समय द्रोणाचार्यने कुन्तीकुमारका सामना करना छोड़कर क्रोधसे लाल आँखें किये वायव्यास्त्रके द्वारा द्रपदकी सेनाका संहार आरम्भ किया

Transliteration

tataḥ pramucya kaunteyaṁ droṇo drupadavāhinīm | vyadhamat krodhatāmrākṣo vāyavyāstreṇa bhārata ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Then Droṇa, turning away from the son of Kuntī, began to crush Drupada’s army. His eyes reddened with wrath, he unleashed the Wind-weapon (Vāyavya-astra) and set about the destruction of Drupada’s forces.

Word by Word

ततःthen, thereafter

प्रमुच्यhaving released/let go (of)

कौन्तेयम्Kunti's son (Arjuna)

द्रोणःDrona

द्रुपद-वाहिनीम्Drupada's army

व्यधमत्he blew/assailed (with force); he smote

क्रोध-ताम्र-अक्षःhe whose eyes were copper-red with anger

वायव्य-अस्त्रेणwith the Vayavya (wind) weapon

भारतO Bharata

भारतO Bharata (repeated address)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Arjuna (Kaunteya)

Drupada

Drupada’s army (Drupadavāhinī)

Vāyavya Astra (Wind-weapon)

Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address 'Bhārata')

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how anger (krodha) can expand conflict: Droṇa disengages from a single adversary (Arjuna) and, driven by wrath, turns destructive force upon a wider body (Drupada’s army). It implicitly cautions that mastery and power, when yoked to rage, intensify harm and erode restraint.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Droṇa stops directly confronting Arjuna and instead attacks Drupada’s forces. With eyes reddened in anger, he employs the Vāyavya astra (Wind-weapon) to begin a sweeping slaughter of Drupada’s army.