Shloka 543
द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय १६२: प्रातःसंध्यायां युद्धप्रवृत्तिः तथा रजोमेघे संमूढता
दृष्टवा द्रौणेमहत् कर्म वासवस्येव संयुगे । भरतमश्रेष्ठ! युद्धस्थलमें इन्द्रके समान अश्वत्थामाके उस महान् कर्मको देखकर पाण्डव- सेना व्यथित हो उठी
sañjaya uvāca | dṛṣṭvā drauṇe mahat karma vāsavasyeva saṃyuge | bharatamāṃśreṣṭha yuddhasthale indrasamānam aśvatthāmānaṃ taṃ mahākarmāṇaṃ dṛṣṭvā pāṇḍavasenā vyathitābhavat |
Sañjaya dit : Ô le meilleur des Bhārata ! Voyant l’exploit puissant d’Aśvatthāmā, fils de Droṇa, tel Vāsava (Indra) au cœur du combat, l’armée des Pāṇḍava en fut ébranlée.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how overwhelming martial power can destabilize even a disciplined force; it implicitly points to the ethical challenge of maintaining composure, duty, and discernment (dharma) amid terror and the spectacle of violence.
Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Aśvatthāmā has performed a formidable battlefield feat, comparable to Indra’s prowess, and that the Pāṇḍava troops, witnessing it, become disturbed and shaken.