Shloka 72
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
वैरानुबन्धमुत्सज्य स्वराज्यमनुशास्ति यः । स सागरध्वज: पाण्ड्यश्रन्द्रश्नरश्मिनिभैर्ठयै:,भगवान् श्रीकृष्णके हाथोंसे जब युद्धमें पाण्ड्यदेशके राजा तथा वर्तमान नरेशके पिता मारे गये, पाण्ड्यराजधानीका फाटक तोड़-फोड़ दिया गया और सारे बन्धु-बान्धव भाग गये, उस समय जिसने भीष्म, द्रोण, परशुराम तथा कृपाचार्यसे अस्त्रविद्या सीखकर उसमें रुकमी, कर्ण, अर्जुन और श्रीकृष्णकी समानता प्राप्त कर ली; फिर द्वारकाको नष्ट करने और सारी पृथ्वीपर विजय पानेका संकल्प किया; यह देख विद्वान् सुहृदोंने हितकी कामना रखकर जिसे वैसा दुःसाहस करनेसे रोक दिया और अब जो वैरभाव छोड़कर अपने राज्यका शासन कर रहा है और जिसके रथपर सागरके चिह्नसे युक्त ध्वजा फहराती है, पराक्रमरूपी धनका आश्रय लेनेवाले उस बलवान राजा पाण्ड्यने अपने दिव्य धनुषकी टंकार करते हुए वैदूर्यमणिकी जालीसे आच्छादित तथा चन्द्रकिरणोंके समान श्वेत घोड़ोंद्वारा द्रोणाचार्यपर धावा किया
sañjaya uvāca | vairānubandham utsṛjya svarājyam anuśāsti yaḥ | sa sāgaradhvajaḥ pāṇḍyaḥ śaśiraśminibhaiḥ hayaiḥ vaidūryamaṇijālāvṛte rathena divyadhanur ninādayan droṇam abhyadravat ||
Sañjaya said: The mighty king of the Pāṇḍya land—who, having abandoned the pursuit of enmity, now governs his own realm, and whose chariot bears a banner marked with the emblem of the ocean—advanced against Droṇa. With his divine bow he sounded a thunderous twang, and, mounted on a chariot covered with a lattice of vaidūrya gems and drawn by horses white as moonbeams, he charged into the battle. The verse frames a moral contrast: after earlier impulses toward reckless vengeance and conquest, wise well-wishers restrained him, and he is now portrayed as choosing kingship with restraint rather than being bound to hatred, even while he fights with full martial vigor.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the ethical ideal of relinquishing fixation on revenge (vairānubandha) and returning to responsible kingship (svarājya-anuśāsana). Even amid war, the text praises restraint guided by wise well-wishers, implying that true strength includes self-control and governance oriented to stability rather than hatred.
Sañjaya describes a powerful Pāṇḍya king—distinguished by an ocean-emblem banner—charging Droṇācārya. He twangs his divine bow and advances in a gem-covered chariot drawn by moon-white horses, signaling a dramatic martial assault within the Drona Parva battle sequence.