Shloka 11
Kṛṣṇopadeśa and Duryodhana’s Challenge
Droṇa-parva, Adhyāya 77
नरनागाश्चदेहेभ्यो विस्नरविष्पति शोणितम् । पतदृभ्य: पतितेभ्यश्व विभिन्नेभ्य: शितै: शरै:,मेरे तीखे बाणोंद्वारा विदीर्ण होकर गिरते और गिरे हुए मनुष्य, हाथी और घोड़ोंके शरीरोंसे खूनकी धारा बह चलेगी
nara-nāgāś ca dehebhyo visṛṇoti śoṇitam | patadbhyaḥ patitebhyaś ca vibhinnebhyaḥ śitaiḥ śaraiḥ ||
Arjuna said: “From the bodies of men and elephants, blood will gush forth—when, torn apart by my sharp arrows, they fall, and even after they have fallen, their severed limbs continue to bleed. Such is the dreadful course of battle that my shafts will set in motion.”
अजुन उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the grim reality of righteous warfare (kṣatriya-dharma): even when undertaken as duty, battle entails severe suffering and irreversible consequences, demanding sobriety and responsibility from the warrior.
Arjuna describes the immediate battlefield effect of his arrows: men, elephants, and horses are struck, fall, and lie severed, while blood continues to flow—an image emphasizing the intensity of the fighting in the Droṇa Parva.