Mahabharata 7.194.51 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 194, Shloka 51
मुखं किंचित् समुन्नाम्य विष्ट भ्य उरमग्रत: । निमीलिताक्ष: सत्त्वस्थो निश्षिप्य हृदि धारणाम्
sañjaya uvāca | mukhaṃ kiñcit samunnāmya viṣṭabhya uram agrataḥ | nimīlitākṣaḥ sattvastho niṣkṣipya hṛdi dhāraṇām | divam ākrāmad ācāryaḥ sākṣāt sadbhir durākramām ||
Sañjaya dit : Relevant légèrement le visage et raidissant la poitrine vers l’avant, le Maître (Droṇa) ferma les yeux, s’établit dans le sattva pur et fixa fermement la concentration intérieure au cœur. Ainsi s’éleva-t-il vers le séjour céleste—vers un état difficile à atteindre même pour les êtres véritablement bons et accomplis.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
Even amid the violence and moral strain of war, the text highlights the yogic ideal: mastery of posture, breath/mind steadiness, and dhāraṇā (focused inner fixation). Ethical weight is placed on inner composure and disciplined departure from life, suggesting that spiritual attainment is measured by clarity (sattva) and concentrated awareness rather than external circumstance.
Sañjaya describes Droṇa’s final moments: he raises his head slightly, steadies his chest, closes his eyes, becomes established in sattva, fixes concentration in the heart, and then departs—ascending to a realm described as difficult to attain even for the virtuous.
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