Mahabharata 7.21.40 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 40
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
वीरास्थिशर्करां रौद्रां भेरीमुरजकच्छपाम् । चर्मवर्मप्लवां घोरां केशशैवलशाद्धलाम्
vīrāsthiśarkarāṁ raudrāṁ bherīmurajakacchapām | carmavarmaplavāṁ ghorāṁ keśaśaivalśādvalām ||
Sañjaya dijo: Drona hizo que el campo de batalla fluyera como un río de sangre espantoso, como si fueran las aguas de la disolución. En aquella corriente terrible, los huesos de los héroes parecían arena y grava; los timbales y tambores de guerra, tortugas; los escudos y las armaduras flotaban como barcas; y el cabello formaba algas y hierba a lo largo de su curso. La imagen no pretende celebrar el triunfo, sino subrayar el horror moral y el costo ineludible de la guerra: cómo la destreza marcial, desatada, convierte el campo en una corriente que arrastra por igual a valientes y temerosos.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the ethical gravity of war: even when fought under kṣatriya duty, battle produces a dehumanizing devastation. The poetic ‘river’ imagery functions as moral commentary—martial prowess can become a force that sweeps away life indiscriminately, warning the listener not to romanticize violence.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s onslaught in the Kurukṣetra war through an extended metaphor: the battlefield becomes a terrifying river where bones are gravel, drums are tortoises, and shields/armor are boats, conveying the scale and dreadfulness of the slaughter.
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