Shloka 39
धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa
केडरक्षन् दक्षिणं चक्रं सव्यं के च महात्मन:,कौन वीर उन महात्माके दाहिने पहियेकी और कौन बायें पहियेकी रक्षा करते थे? कौन उस युद्धस्थलमें युद्धपरायण वीरवर द्रोणाचार्यके आगे थे और किन लोगोंने अपने शरीरका मोह छोड़कर विपक्षियोंका सामना करते हुए उस रणक्षेत्रमें मृत्युका वरण किया था
dhṛtarāṣṭra uvāca | ke ’rakṣan dakṣiṇaṃ cakraṃ savyaṃ ke ca mahātmanaḥ | ke vīrāḥ purato droṇasya yuddhe yuddhaparāyaṇāḥ | ke ca tyaktvā śarīrasnehaṃ pratyapadyanta vai ripūn | raṇe mṛtyuṃ ca ye prāpuḥ ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “Who guarded the right wheel of that formation, and who the left, O noble one? Which heroes stood in front of Droṇa—ever intent on battle—upon that field? And which men, casting off attachment to their bodies, confronted the opposing warriors and chose death on that battlefield?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the kṣatriya ideal of steadfastness in battle: guarding strategic positions, standing at the forefront under a commander, and meeting death without bodily attachment. Ethically, it frames warfare as a field where duty, courage, and renunciation of fear are tested—while also underscoring the tragic cost of conflict.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra asks Sañjaya for a detailed report of Droṇa’s battle-array: who protected the right and left ‘wheels’ (flanks/sections), who fought at the very front under Droṇa’s command, and which warriors, disregarding self-preservation, confronted the enemy and fell in the fighting.