Shloka 86
मालवं पौरवं चैव युवराजं च चेदिपम् । दृष्टवा समक्ष निहतं द्रोणपुत्रेण पाण्डव:
mālavaṁ pauravaṁ caiva yuvarājaṁ ca cedipam | dṛṣṭvā samakṣaṁ nihataṁ droṇaputreṇa pāṇḍavāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Seeing the Mālava, the Paurava, and the Cedi prince struck down before their very eyes by Droṇa’s son, the Pāṇḍavas were shaken—confronted again with the harsh immediacy of war, where valor and lineage offer no protection when adharma-driven fury finds its mark.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical weight of witnessing death directly in war: even rightful warriors are vulnerable when battle is driven by rage and retaliation. It highlights how adharma in conduct magnifies suffering, reminding readers that power without restraint devastates both enemies and the moral order.
Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāmā (Droṇa’s son) has slain notable fighters—a Mālava, a Paurava, and a Cedi prince—right before the Pāṇḍavas. The Pāṇḍavas, seeing these deaths in their immediate presence, are forced to confront the intensity and peril of the ongoing combat.