Shloka 26

द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः

Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry

Devanagari script

युवानमवहन्‌ युद्धे क्रौज्चवर्णा हयोत्तमा:

Transliteration

yuvānam avahan yuddhe krauñcavarṇā hayottamāḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: In the midst of battle, excellent horses of krauñca-like hue bore the young warrior onward—an image that underscores how youthful valor is carried into the harsh machinery of war, where strength and speed serve a cause shaped by duty and conflict.

Word by Word

• युवानम्: the young man
• युवानम्: Karma
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: युवन्
• Form: Masculine, Accusative, Singular

• अवहन्: carried/bore
• अवहन्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: वह्
• Form: Imperfect (Laṅ), 3rd, Plural

• युद्धे: in battle
• युद्धे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: युद्ध
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• क्रौञ्चवर्णाः: having the color of a krauñca (bird)
• क्रौञ्चवर्णाः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: क्रौञ्चवर्ण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

• हयोत्तमाः: excellent horses
• हयोत्तमाः: Karta
• Type: Noun/Adjective
• Root: हयोत्तम
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Plural

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• young warrior (yuvāna)
• excellent horses (hayottamāḥ)
• krauñca (crane/heron, as a color reference)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how personal qualities like youth and courage are propelled by instruments of war—here, swift horses—suggesting that valor operates within larger structures of duty and conflict, where ethical outcomes depend on the purpose to which such power is directed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a battlefield movement: a young warrior is being carried forward in combat by superb horses described by their distinctive krauñca-like coloration, emphasizing speed, readiness, and the vivid immediacy of the war scene.