धृतराष्ट्रस्य मूर्च्छा तथा द्रोणविषयकप्रश्नाः
Dhṛtarāṣṭra’s Fainting and Questions Concerning Droṇa
अस्त्र॑ चतुर्विधं वीरे यस्मिन्नासीत् प्रतिष्तितम् तमिष्वस्त्रधराचार्य द्रोणं शंससि मे हतम्,जिन वीर सेनापतिमें चार प्रकारके अस्त्र प्रतिष्ठित थे, उन धनुर्धरोंके आचार्य द्रोणको तुम मुझे मारा गया बता रहे हो
astraṁ caturvidhaṁ vīre yasminn āsīt pratiṣṭhitam | tam iṣv-astradharācārya droṇaṁ śaṁsasi me hatam ||
Dhṛtarāṣṭra said: “In that heroic warrior in whom the fourfold science of weapons stood firmly established—Drona, the preceptor of archers and masters of missiles—you are telling me that he has been slain. How can such a pillar of martial discipline and duty have fallen in this war?”
धृतराष्ट उवाच
The verse highlights the moral weight of a teacher-warrior’s fall: even the most accomplished master of arms is subject to the tragic reversals of war, prompting reflection on the fragility of worldly power and the ethical cost when dharma is strained on the battlefield.
Dhṛtarāṣṭra reacts with astonishment to the report that Droṇa—renowned as the preceptor of archers and a consummate master of weapons—has been killed, emphasizing Droṇa’s unparalleled martial establishment and questioning how such a figure could be slain.