Shloka 483
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
पुष्पाणीव विचिन्वन् हि सोत्तमाड्ान्यपातयत् | तत्पश्चात् दूसरे तेज धारवाले भल्ल्लोंसे महायशस्वी द्रोणने उन राजकुमारोंके मस्तक उसी प्रकार काट गिराये, मानो वृक्षोंसे फूल चुन लिये हों
puṣpāṇīva vicinvan hi so 'ttamāṇy apātayat | tatpaścāt dvitīyair tejaḥ-dhārāvalair bhallaiḥ mahāyaśasvī droṇaḥ tān rājaputrān mastakāni tathā ciccheda nipātayām āsa yathā vṛkṣebhyaḥ puṣpāṇi saṃcinuyāt ||
Sañjaya dit : Tel un homme qui cueille des fleurs, il abattit ces guerriers d’élite. Puis Droṇa, illustre entre tous, avec des flèches bhalla, tranchantes et flamboyantes, trancha et fit tomber les têtes de ces jeunes princes, comme s’il cueillait des fleurs aux arbres.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary skill and resolve in war can make killing seem effortless—like plucking flowers—raising an ethical tension between martial duty (kṣatriya-dharma) and compassion. It invites reflection on how habituation to violence can dull moral sensitivity even when actions are framed as duty.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa on the battlefield felling foremost fighters and then, with sharp bhalla-arrows, severing and dropping the heads of royal youths. The repeated flower-plucking simile emphasizes the speed and ease of Droṇa’s slaughter.