Shloka 3
Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)
नरनागाश्चवमथनं परमं लोमहर्षणम् । द्रोणकर्णकृपा वीरा भीमपार्षतसात्यका:
sañjaya uvāca
naranāgāś ca vamathanaṁ paramaṁ lomaharṣaṇam |
droṇakarṇakṛpā vīrā bhīmapārṣatasātyakāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: “There occurred a supreme, hair-raising tumult—men and elephants in violent upheaval. The heroes Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Bhīma, Dhṛṣṭadyumna (Pārṣata), and Sātyaki were at the heart of that dreadful clash.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the terrifying scale of war—where even great heroes become agents within a violent ‘churning’ that overwhelms men and beasts alike—inviting reflection on the ethical cost of conflict even when framed as kṣatriya-duty.
Sañjaya reports an intense phase of fighting in which the battlefield is thrown into a dreadful upheaval involving warriors and elephants, with major champions—Droṇa, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Bhīma, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Sātyaki—prominently engaged.