Mahabharata 7.165.36 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 165, Shloka 36

Droṇa’s Withdrawal, Death, and the Kaurava Rout (द्रोणनिधन-प्रसङ्गः)

Devanagari script

अन्योन्यं क्षोभयामासु: सैन्यानि नृपसत्तम । उस समय अत्यन्त रोमांचकारी युद्ध हो रहा था। उसमें मनुष्य

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | anyonyaṃ kṣobhayāmāsuḥ sainyāni nṛpasattama | tacchaktisaṅghākulacaṇḍavātaṃ mahārathābhraṃ gajavāji-ghoṣam ||

Translation

Sañjaya dijo: Oh, el mejor de los reyes, los ejércitos se arrojaron mutuamente al tumulto. La batalla se alzó como un vendaval feroz, atestado de masas de armas—como una nube de tormenta de grandes guerreros de carro—resonante con los bramidos de elefantes y caballos. En aquel choque estremecedor, hombres, elefantes y corceles eran batidos y mezclados; de un lado combatían Droṇa, Karṇa y Kṛpa como tres campeones supremos, y del otro Bhīmasena, Dhṛṣṭadyumna y Sātyaki se alzaban frente a ellos.

Word by Word

• अन्योन्यम्: mutually, one another
• अन्योन्यम्: Adhikarana
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अन्योन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्यय (क्रियाविशेषण)

• क्षोभयामासुः: they agitated / caused to be in turmoil
• क्षोभयामासुः: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: क्षुभ् (धातु)
• Form: लिट् (परस्मैपद), प्रथमपुरुष, बहुवचन

• सैन्यानि: armies, troops
• सैन्यानि: Karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, द्वितीया, बहुवचन

• नृपसत्तम: O best of kings
• नृपसत्तम: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृपसत्तम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, सम्बोधन, एकवचन

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra (implied by address nṛpasattama)
• Droṇa
• Karṇa
• Kṛpācārya (Kṛpa)
• Bhīmasena
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna
• Sātyaki
• armies (sainyāni)
• weapons (śakti)
• elephants (gaja)
• horses (vāji)
• great chariot-warriors (mahārathāḥ)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores how war, once unleashed, becomes a self-amplifying storm: disciplined warriors and vast forces mutually agitate and entangle one another, turning human skill and duty into overwhelming collective violence. It implicitly invites reflection on the ethical cost of kṣatriya glory when conflict escalates beyond control.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports to the king that both sides’ armies are in intense, chaotic engagement. He highlights a key confrontation: Droṇa, Karṇa, and Kṛpa fighting on one side, opposed by Bhīma, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Sātyaki on the other, while the battlefield roars with elephants, horses, and weapon-clamor.