Shloka 11

Droṇa-pātana-paripṛcchā (Inquiry into the Fall of Droṇa) | द्रोणपातनपरिपृच्छा

Devanagari script

तमन्तकमिव क्रुद्धमापतन्तं यतव्रतम्‌ । दृष्टवा सम्प्राद्रवन्‌ योधा: पाण्डवस्य ततस्तत:,नियमपूर्वक व्रतका पालन करनेवाले द्रोणाचार्यको क्रोधमें भरे हुए कालके समान आते देख पाण्डुनन्दन युधिष्ठिरके सारे सैनिक इधर-उधर भाग चले

Transliteration

tam antakam iva kruddham āpatantaṃ yatavratam | dṛṣṭvā samprādravan yodhāḥ pāṇḍavasya tatas tataḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya said: Seeing Droṇa—steadfast in his vowed discipline—charging forward in wrath like Antaka (Death) himself, the warriors of the son of Pāṇḍu scattered and fled in all directions.

Word by Word

तम्him

अन्तकम्Death (Yama)

इवlike, as if

क्रुद्धम्angry

आपतन्तम्rushing/falling upon, charging

यतव्रतम्of restrained vow; vow-observant

दृष्ट्वाhaving seen

सम्प्राद्रवन्ran away, fled

योधाःwarriors

पाण्डवस्यof the Pandava

ततःthen; from there

ततःhere and there (repeated: in all directions)

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa (Droṇācārya)

Antaka (Death/Yama)

Pāṇḍava (son of Pāṇḍu; contextually Yudhiṣṭhira)

Pāṇḍava warriors/army

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Cross References

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how disciplined resolve (vrata-niyama) can make a warrior formidable; when such disciplined force is inflamed by anger, it can become terrifying like ‘Death’ itself, causing collapse of morale. Ethically, it also warns that wrath in war magnifies destruction and tests the steadiness of those who face it.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes Droṇa charging forward in fury. Seeing him advance like Antaka, the Pāṇḍava-side warriors (associated with the son of Pāṇḍu, i.e., Yudhiṣṭhira’s host) lose cohesion and flee in different directions.