Shloka 15

Adhyāya 16: Saṃśaptaka-vrata and the Diversion of Arjuna (द्रोणपर्व, अध्याय १६)

Devanagari script

भीमकर्णकृपद्रोणद्रौणिपार्षतसात्यकै: । बभासे स रणोद्ेश: कालसूर्य इवोदित:,भीम, कर्ण, कृपाचार्य, द्रोण, अश्वत्थामा, धृष्टद्युम्न तथा सात्यकि आदि वीरोंसे वह रणक्षेत्र ऐसी शोभा पा रहा था, मानो वहाँ प्रलयकालके सूर्यका उदय हुआ हो

Transliteration

bhīmakarṇakṛpadroṇadrauṇipārṣatasātyakaiḥ | babhāse sa raṇoddeśaḥ kālasūrya ivoditaḥ ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ce secteur du champ de bataille brillait d’un éclat funeste, rempli de Bhīma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Droṇa, le fils de Droṇa (Aśvatthāmā), Pārṣata (Dhṛṣṭadyumna) et Sātyaki—comme si le soleil de la dissolution finale s’y était levé. L’image souligne que la présence de ces guerriers d’élite transforme le terrain en scène de violence écrasante, lourde de fatalité, où la prouesse humaine semble refléter la destruction cosmique.

Word by Word

भीमकर्णकृपद्रोणद्रौणिपार्षतसात्यकैःby Bhima, Karna, Kripa, Drona, Drona's son (Ashvatthama), the son of Prishata (Dhrishtadyumna), and Satyaki

बभासेshone, appeared splendid

सःthat, he/it (that battlefield)

रणोद्देशःbattlefield region, arena of battle

कालसूर्यःthe sun at the time of destruction (doomsday-sun)

इवlike, as if

उदितःrisen, arisen

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Bhīma

Karṇa

Kṛpācārya

Droṇācārya

Aśvatthāmā

Dhṛṣṭadyumna

Sātyaki

battlefield (raṇa/raṇoddeśa)

kālasūrya (apocalyptic sun)

Character Dynamics

Dharma Sankata (Moral Dilemma)

War Context

Verse Rasa (Emotional Essence)

Philosophical Teaching

Political Layer

Geographic Context

Meter (Chandas)

Sandhi Notes

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse highlights how concentrated martial power can resemble cosmic, indiscriminate destruction: when the greatest warriors converge, the battlefield becomes a space where ethical order (dharma) is tested under the shadow of Kāla (Time/Death). It cautions that prowess without restraint easily turns into a force akin to apocalypse.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya describes a particular sector of the Kurukṣetra battlefield where major champions from both sides are present—Bhīma, Karṇa, Kṛpa, Droṇa, Aśvatthāmā, Dhṛṣṭadyumna, and Sātyaki—making that area blaze with terrifying brilliance, compared to the rising of the doomsday sun.