Shloka 7
द्रोण–धृष्टद्युम्नयुद्धवर्णनम्
Drona–Dhrishtadyumna Battle Description
दन्तान् भड़क्त्वा सहस्नस्य कर्णान् नासान्यकृन्तत । ततः सप्तसहस्राणां कट्धूपमपाययत्,एक सहस्र राजपूतोंके दाँत तोड़कर नाक और कान काट डाले तथा सात हजार राजाओंको कड़वा धूप पिला दिया
dantān bhaṭaktvā sahasrasya karṇān nāsāny akṛntata | tataḥ saptasahasrāṇāṃ kaṭhūpam apāyayat |
Narada said: “Having broken the teeth of a thousand (kings/warriors), he cut off their ears and noses. Then he forced seven thousand (kings) to drink a bitter, acrid fumigation/decoction.” The passage underscores a descent into cruelty in the war-narrative, where humiliation and mutilation replace righteous combat, highlighting the ethical collapse that adharma brings upon rulers and armies alike.
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse functions as a moral warning within the war narrative: when conflict abandons restraint and dharmic limits, it devolves into deliberate humiliation and mutilation, revealing the corrosive nature of adharma on rulers and society.
Nārada describes an episode of extreme brutality: a figure (implied agent) breaks the teeth of a thousand men and mutilates them by cutting ears and noses, then compels seven thousand to drink something bitter/harsh (kaṭhūpa), emphasizing terror and degradation rather than honorable battle.