Shloka 58
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
स जित्वा समरे शत्रून् द्रोणपुत्रो महारथ:
sa jitvā samare śatrūn droṇaputro mahārathaḥ
Sañjaya said: Having conquered the enemies in battle, the son of Droṇa—the great chariot-warrior—stood foremost, his victory marking both the prowess of arms and the grim momentum of the war.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line foregrounds the ideal of martial excellence (mahāratha) and the reality that victory in war is achieved through the defeat of foes; ethically, it hints at the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya duty and the heavy moral cost that accompanies triumph on the battlefield.
Sañjaya reports that Droṇa’s son Aśvatthāmā has overcome enemies in the fight, emphasizing his status as a foremost warrior and signaling a turn in the battle’s immediate fortunes.