Shloka 26
Droṇa-pātana-paripṛcchā (Inquiry into the Fall of Droṇa) | द्रोणपातनपरिपृच्छा
(तेषां शरा द्रोणशरैर्निकृत्ता भूमावदृश्यन्त विवर्तमाना: । श्रेणीकृता: संयति मोघवेगा द्वीपे नदीनामिव काशरोहा: ।।) इन सबके बाण द्रोणाचार्यके सायकोंद्वारा छिन्न-भिन्न एवं निष्फल हो युद्धस्थलमें धरतीपर लोटते दिखायी देने लगे, मानो नदियोंके द्वीपमें ढेर-के-ढेर कास अथवा सरकण्डे काटकर बिछा दिये गये हों। तेषामथ द्रोणधरनुर्विमुक्ता: पतत्रिण: काञ्चनचित्रपुड्खा: । भित्त्वा शरीराणि गजाश्चयूनां जम्मुर्महीं शोणितदिग्धवाजा:,द्रोणाचार्यके धनुषसे छूटे हुए सुवर्णमय विचित्र पंखोंसे युक्त बाण हाथी, घोड़े और युवकोंके शरीरोंको छेदकर धरतीमें घुस गये। उस समय उनके पंख रक्तसे रँग गये थे
teṣāṃ śarā droṇaśarair nikṛttā bhūmāv adṛśyanta vivartamānāḥ | śreṇīkṛtāḥ saṃyati moghavegā dvīpe nadīnām iva kāśarohāḥ ||
Sañjaya said: Their arrows, cut down by Droṇa’s shafts, were seen twisting and rolling upon the ground—arrayed in rows on the battlefield, their force made futile—like heaps of kāśa grass or reeds strewn on the river-islands after being cut. Then the arrows loosed from Droṇa’s bow, with wondrous golden-feathered fletching, pierced elephants, horses, and young warriors and sank into the earth; their wings were stained with blood.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in the machinery of war, even determined effort can become mogha—ethically and practically futile—when met by superior force. It invites reflection on the tragic economy of violence: skill may triumph, yet the result is a landscape of wasted intent and multiplied harm.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s counterattack: the opposing warriors’ arrows are severed mid-flight by Droṇa’s shafts and fall to the ground, twisting and lying in ordered heaps, compared to cut reeds or kāśa grass strewn on river-islands.