Shloka 27
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 45: Saubhadra–Lakṣmaṇa-saṃyoga and Kaurava Counter-Encirclement
चूतारामो यथा भग्न: पड्चवर्ष: फलोपग: । राजपुत्रशतं तद्धत् सौभद्रेण निपातितम्,जैसे पाँच वर्षोका लगाया हुआ आमका बाग, जो फल देनेके योग्य हो गया हो, काट दिया जाय, उसी प्रकार सैकड़ों राजकुमारोंको सुभद्राकुमारने वहाँ मार गिराया
cūtārāmo yathā bhagnaḥ pañcavarṣaḥ phalopagaḥ | rājaputraśataṃ taddhat saubhadreṇa nipātitam ||
Sañjaya said: Just as a mango-grove, planted and tended for five years and now fit to bear fruit, might be cut down, so too were hundreds of princes struck down there—felled by Saubhadra.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the moral cost and tragic waste inherent in war: lives that have reached readiness and promise—like an orchard ready to bear fruit—can be destroyed abruptly. It invites reflection on how conflict annihilates future potential, lineage, and the fruits of long cultivation.
Sañjaya reports that Saubhadra (Abhimanyu) has struck down hundreds of princes on the battlefield. The slaughter is compared to cutting down a five-year-old mango orchard that has just become capable of bearing fruit.