Shloka 15

Devanagari script

द्रोणेन वध्यमानानां पञ्चालानां विशाम्पते

Transliteration

droṇena vadhyamānānāṃ pañcālānāṃ viśāmpate

Translation

Sañjaya said: “O lord of the people, as the Pāñcālas were being cut down by Droṇa…”

Word by Word

• द्रोणेन: by Droṇa
• द्रोणेन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Singular

• वध्यमानानाम्: of (those) being slain
• वध्यमानानाम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वध्यमान (√वध्)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• पञ्चालानाम्: of the Pāñcālas
• पञ्चालानाम्: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: पञ्चाल
• Form: Masculine, Genitive, Plural

• विशाम्पते: O lord of the people
• Type: Noun
• Root: विशाम्पति
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Droṇa
• Pāñcālas
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Sañjaya

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line underscores the grim ethical tension of war: even renowned teachers and elders become instruments of mass killing, reminding the listener (the king) that political ambition and attachment can culminate in widespread suffering borne by entire peoples.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya addresses Dhṛtarāṣṭra and begins describing a battlefield episode in which Droṇa is actively slaughtering the Pāñcāla forces; the verse functions as a lead-in to the ensuing account of their plight and the battle’s momentum.