Mahabharata 7.192.59 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 192, Shloka 59

Devanagari script

योद्धुंनाशकनुवद्‌ राजन्‌ यथापूर्वमरिंदम:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca | yoddhuṃ nāśakan uvad rājan yathāpūrvam ariṃdamaḥ | tasya cetanāśaktiḥ lupyamānā babhūva; sa atyantaṃ udvignaḥ samapadyata | rājan! tadā dhṛṣṭadyumnam abhimukhaṃ dṛṣṭvāpi śatrūṇāṃ damana-karo droṇācāryo yathāpūrvaṃ yuddhaṃ na śaśāka ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ô roi, le dompteur d’ennemis ne put plus combattre comme auparavant. Sa lucidité commença à défaillir, et il fut saisi d’une agitation extrême. Ô roi, en ce moment-là, bien qu’il vît Dhrishtadyumna devant lui, Droṇa—célèbre pour écraser ses adversaires—ne put mener la guerre à l’ancienne manière.

Word by Word

• योद्धुम्: to fight
• योद्धुम्: Karma
• Type: Verb
• Root: युध्
• Form: tumun (infinitive), parasmaipada (usage-neutral)

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

• अशकत्: was able
• Type: Verb
• Root: शक्
• Form: aorist (luṅ), 3, singular, parasmaipada

• अनुवत्: as before, in the former manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अनुवत्

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: masculine, vocative, singular

• यथा: as, just as
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा

• पूर्वम्: formerly, before
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: पूर्व

• अरिंदमः: enemy-subduer (one who subdues foes)
• अरिंदमः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अरिंदम
• Form: masculine, nominative, singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Droṇācārya (Drona)
• Dhṛṣṭadyumna

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Even extraordinary skill and reputation can be neutralized when inner steadiness collapses. The verse highlights the ethical-psychological dimension of warfare: a warrior’s effectiveness depends not only on weapons and training but also on mental clarity, composure, and the ability to bear grief and shock.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sanjaya reports to Dhritarashtra that Drona, though famed as an enemy-subduer, could not fight as he used to. His awareness and resolve were fading, and he became deeply agitated; even with Dhrishtadyumna directly before him, Drona was unable to wage battle in his former manner.