Shloka 7
अध्याय ३१ — द्रोणानीके तुमुलसंग्रामः
The Tumultuous Battle around Droṇa’s Formation
द्रोणं द्रोणमिति होके मा द्रोणमिति चापरे । कुरूणां पाण्डवानां च द्रोणद्यूतमवर्तत,एक ओरसे आवाज आती थी “द्रोणको पकड़ो, द्रोणको पकड़ो।” दूसरी ओरसे उत्तर मिलता, “द्रोणाचार्यको कोई नहीं पकड़ सकता।” इस प्रकार द्रोणाचार्यको दाँवपर रखकर कौरव और पाण्डवोंमें युद्धका जूआ आरम्भ हो गया था
droṇaṁ droṇam iti hoke mā droṇam iti cāpare | kurūṇāṁ pāṇḍavānāṁ ca droṇadyūtam avartata ||
Sañjaya said: On one side there rose the cry, “Droṇa! Droṇa!” while on the other some replied, “Not Droṇa!” Thus, with Droṇācārya as the stake, the Kurus and the Pāṇḍavas set in motion a grim “game of war”—a contest in which the frenzy of capture and the claim of invincibility eclipsed restraint and right conduct.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse frames battle as a ‘dyūta’ (dice-game), warning how war can turn into reckless wagering of lives and honor. The competing cries—“seize Drona” versus “Drona cannot be seized”—show how pride, reputation, and frenzy can overpower sober dharma and humane restraint.
Sañjaya reports the tumult on the battlefield: some urge the capture of Droṇa, while others insist he is beyond capture. This clash of calls signals an intensified phase of fighting in which Droṇa becomes the central focus and the struggle proceeds as if he were the stake in a deadly game.