Shloka 26
ततो द्रोणाय निहतं भीष्ममाचष्ट कौरव: । द्रोणस्तत्राप्रियं श्रुत्वा मुमोह भरतर्षभ
tato droṇāya nihataṃ bhīṣmam ācāṣṭa kauravaḥ | droṇas tatrāpriyaṃ śrutvā mumoha bharatarṣabha ||
Sañjaya dit : Alors un Kaurava annonça à Droṇa que Bhīṣma avait été tué. Entendant cette nouvelle funeste sur le champ de bataille, Droṇa fut accablé et s’évanouit : si lourde était la chute de l’aïeul, pilier du dharma et de l’ordre guerrier, même au cœur d’une guerre mue par l’adharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even in a righteous framework like kṣatriya warfare, attachment to revered elders and the collapse of moral anchors can overwhelm the mind; the verse highlights how the fall of a dharma-embodying figure (Bhīṣma) shakes the very stability of those who fight, revealing the human cost of adharma-driven conflict.
A Kaurava informs Droṇa that Bhīṣma has been killed; Droṇa, struck by the shock of this unwelcome news, loses composure and faints, while Sañjaya narrates this to Dhṛtarāṣṭra.