Shloka 76
द्रोणवध-प्रश्नः
Droṇa’s Fall: Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Inquiry
भारतानां समेतानामुत्सूज्यैको मतानि यः । गतो युधिष्ठिरं भक्त्या त्यक्त्वा सर्वमभीप्सितम्,जो एकत्र हुए सम्पूर्ण भरतवंशियोंके मतोंका परित्याग करके अपने सम्पूर्ण मनोरथोंको छोड़कर केवल भक्तिभावसे युधिष्ठिरके पक्षमें चले गये, उन लाल नेत्र और विशाल भुजावाले राजा बृहन्तको, जो सुवर्णमय रथपर बैठे हुए थे, अरट्टदेशके महापराक्रमी, विशालकाय और सुनहरे रंगवाले घोड़े रणभूमिमें ले गये
bhāratānāṁ sametānām utsṛjyaiko matāni yaḥ | gato yudhiṣṭhiraṁ bhaktyā tyaktvā sarvam abhīpsitam ||
Sañjaya said: He who, standing alone, set aside the opinions of the assembled Bharatas and, abandoning all that he had desired, went over to Yudhiṣṭhira’s side out of devotion—him, King Bṛhanta, red-eyed and broad-armed, seated upon a golden chariot—the mighty warriors of the Aratta country led into the battlefield with large-bodied, golden-hued horses.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights a moral choice made against collective pressure: a warrior-king abandons the prevailing counsel of the assembled Bharatas and renounces personal ambitions to side with Yudhiṣṭhira out of bhakti (steadfast loyalty/devotion). It frames ethical agency as the courage to relinquish self-interest and majority opinion when one’s allegiance to a righteous cause is clear.
Sañjaya describes King Bṛhanta, who has joined Yudhiṣṭhira’s side. He is portrayed with heroic epithets (red-eyed, broad-armed) and is seated on a golden chariot. Warriors from the Aratta region bring him into the battle, driving powerful, large, golden-colored horses onto the battlefield.