Mahabharata 7.113.47 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 113, Shloka 47

Adhyāya 113: Karṇa–Bhīma Śaravarṣa and the Battlefield Aftermath (कर्णभीमशरवर्षः)

Devanagari script

न द्रोण: सह सैन्येन कृतवर्मा च संयुगे

Transliteration

na droṇaḥ saha sainyena kṛtavarmā ca saṁyuge

Translation

Yudhiṣṭhira dit : «Ni Droṇa, même avec son armée, ni Kṛtavarmā au plus fort du combat…» (Ces mots portent une appréciation tendue, morale et stratégique : même des guerriers renommés et leurs troupes sont pesés face au désastre de la guerre, où la seule prouesse ne saurait garantir une issue juste ou favorable.)

Word by Word

• न: not
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न

• द्रोणः: Drona
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• सह: together with
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सह

• सैन्येन: with the army
• सैन्येन: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैन्य
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental, Singular

• कृतवर्मा: Kritavarman
• कृतवर्मा: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: कृतवर्मन्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• च: and
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च

• संयुगे: in battle
• संयुगे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: संयुग
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

Speaker

युधिछिर उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Droṇa
• Kṛtavarmā
• Yudhiṣṭhira
• army (sainya)
• battle (saṁyuga)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The fragment underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring ethical tension: celebrated martial strength and numerical force do not by themselves secure a just or successful outcome. In war, decisions and consequences are judged not only by power but by dharma, intention, and the moral cost borne by all sides.

What is happening in the narrative?

Yudhiṣṭhira is speaking in the context of the Drona Parva’s intense battlefield developments. He refers to Droṇa (with his forces) and Kṛtavarmā in combat, indicating an evaluation of key Kaurava-aligned warriors amid a rapidly shifting and perilous war situation; the line as given is syntactically incomplete and likely continues in the next pāda/verse in the source.