Shloka 31

Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 25 — Bhīma’s Disruption of Elephant Formations and Bhagadatta’s Shock Advance

Devanagari script

प्रवपन्निव बीजानि बीजकाले नरर्षभ । द्रौणायनिद्रौपदेयं शरवर्षैरवाकिरत्‌,नरश्रेष्ठ! तब द्रोणपुत्र भी द्रौपदीकुमार प्रतिविन्ध्यपर बाणोंकी वर्षा करने लगा, मानो किसान बीज बोनेके समयपर खेतमें बीज डाल रहा हो

Transliteration

pravapann iva bījāni bījakāle nararṣabha | drauṇāyanidraupadeyaṁ śaravarṣair avākirat ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Ô taureau parmi les hommes, comme on répand les semences au temps des semailles, ainsi le fils de Droṇa accabla Prativindhya, le fils de Draupadī, d’une pluie de flèches.

Word by Word

प्रवपन्sowing (while sowing)

इवas if, like

बीजानिseeds

बीजकालेat seed-time (time of sowing)

नरर्षभO bull among men

द्रौणायनिDraunayani (son of Drona, i.e., Ashvatthaman)

द्रौपदेयम्the son of Draupadi (Draupadeya)

शरवर्षैःwith showers of arrows

अवाकिरत्showered, scattered down upon

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Aśvatthāman (Drauṇāyani, son of Droṇa)

Prativindhya (a Draupadeya; son of Draupadī)

arrows (śara)

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 uses a farming simile to portray how methodical and unhesitating martial skill becomes in war. It invites reflection on kṣatriya-duty performed with discipline, yet directed toward destruction—highlighting the ethical strain between righteous role-based action and the suffering it produces.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports that Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son) unleashes a dense barrage of arrows upon a son of Draupadī (identified here as Prativindhya), likening the arrow-shower to a farmer scattering seeds at sowing time.