Mahabharata 7.194.69 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 194, Shloka 69

Devanagari script

एवं त॑ निहतं संख्ये दद्शे सैनिको जन:

Transliteration

sañjaya uvāca |

evaṃ taṃ nihataṃ saṅkhye dadarśe sainiko janaḥ |

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ainsi la masse des soldats vit de ses propres yeux qu’il avait été tué dans la mêlée. Ô roi ! Dhrishtadyumna, le grand archer, ramassa la tête du maître Droṇa et la jeta devant tes fils.

Word by Word

• एवम्: thus, in this manner
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: एवम्

• तत्: that (one/thing)
• तत्: Karma
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• निहतम्: slain, killed
• निहतम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नि-हन् (हत)
• Form: Neuter, Accusative, Singular

• सङ्ख्ये: in battle
• सङ्ख्ये: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: सङ्ख्य
• Form: Feminine, Locative, Singular

• ददर्श: saw
• Type: Verb
• Root: दृश्
• Form: Perfect (Paroksha), 3rd, Singular, Parasmaipada

• सैनिकः: soldier
• सैनिकः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: सैनिक
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• जनः: people, crowd
• जनः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: जन
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Droṇācārya (implied by context)
• the soldiers/army (sainika-jana)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The verse underscores the moral weight of public witnessing in war: when a revered figure falls, the event is not private—it reshapes collective conscience, intensifies enmity, and tests dharma amid battlefield necessity.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that the soldiers directly saw the slain warrior in the battle. In context, this refers to Droṇa’s death being evident to the assembled forces, marking a decisive and emotionally explosive turning point.