Shloka 626

Devanagari script

किंचिदब्रुवत:ः कायाद्‌ विचकर्तासिना शिर: । देहधारी द्रोणके शरीरसे प्राण निकल गये थे, अतः वे कुछ भी बोल नहीं रहे थे। इस अवस्थामें उनके मस्तकका बाल पकड़कर धृष्टद्युम्नने तलवारसे उनके सिरको धड़से काट लिया

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | kiñcid abruvataḥ kāyād vicakartāsinā śiraḥ |

Translation

Sanjaya said: When Droṇa’s body could no longer utter even a word, Dhṛṣṭadyumna seized him by the hair and, with a sword, severed his head from his trunk. The act marks a grim turning point in the war: a revered teacher, rendered speechless and defenseless, is slain in a manner that raises sharp questions about righteous conduct amid battlefield necessity and vengeance.

Word by Word

• किञ्चित्: anything, something (even a little)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: किञ्चित्

• अब्रुवतः: (they) speak / are speaking
• Type: Verb
• Root: ब्रू
• Form: Lat (present), 3rd, dual, Parasmaipada

• कायात्: from the body
• कायात्: Apadana
• Type: Noun
• Root: काय
• Form: masculine, ablative, singular

• विचकर्त: cut off, severed
• Type: Verb
• Root: वि + कृत्त्
• Form: Lan (imperfect), 3rd, singular, Parasmaipada

• असिना: with a sword
• असिना: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: असि
• Form: masculine, instrumental, singular

• शिरः: head
• शिरः: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: शिरस्
• Form: neuter, accusative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sanjaya
• Drona (Droṇācārya)
• Dhrishtadyumna (Dhṛṣṭadyumna)
• sword (asi)
• head (śiras)
• hair (implied by narrative context)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse foregrounds the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: in war, strategic aims and personal enmities can drive actions that appear to violate ideals of dharma—especially when the victim is a venerable teacher and no longer resisting. It invites reflection on whether ends can justify means, and how quickly righteousness can be compromised under the pressures of conflict.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports that Droṇa, unable to speak (and effectively incapacitated), is seized by Dhṛṣṭadyumna, who cuts off Droṇa’s head with a sword. This describes the decisive killing of Droṇa on the battlefield and signals a major shift in the course of the war.