Shloka 21

द्रोणपर्व — अध्याय २७: सुशर्माह्वानम्, अर्जुनस्य प्रतिनिवर्तनम्, भगदत्तेन गजप्रहारः

Devanagari script

शतश: पाणयश्शकछिन्ना: सेषुज्यातलकार्मुका: । केतवो वाजिन: सूता रथिनश्वापतन्‌ क्षितौ,सैकड़ों भुजाएँ बाण, प्रत्यंचा और धनुषसहित कट गयीं। ध्वज, घोड़े, सारथि और रथी सभी धराशायी हो गये

Transliteration

śataśaḥ pāṇayaś chinnāḥ sa-śujyā-tala-kārmukāḥ | ketavo vājinaḥ sūtā rathinaś cāpatann kṣitau ||

Translation

Sañjaya dit : Par centaines, des bras furent tranchés—tenant encore les arcs, avec leurs cordes et leurs poignées. Les étendards s’effondrèrent ; les chevaux tombèrent ; les cochers et les guerriers de char furent abattus sur la terre.

Word by Word

शतशःby hundreds; in hundreds

पाणयःhands/arms

शक-छिन्नाःcut off by arrows

स-इषु-ज्या-तल-कार्मुकाःtogether with arrows, bowstring, bow-grip, and bow

केतवःbanners/standards

वाजिनःhorses

सूताःcharioteers

रथिनःchariot-warriors

चand

अपतन्fell down

क्षितौon the ground/earth

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

bows (kārmuka)

bowstrings (jyā)

banners/standards (ketu)

horses (vājin)

charioteers (sūta)

chariot-warriors (rathin)

earth/ground (kṣiti)

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 underscores the grim impartiality of war: skill, status, and martial equipment offer no ultimate security. It invites reflection on the ethical weight of kṣatriya warfare—where duty may compel combat, yet the human cost remains stark and undeniable.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya reports intense fighting in which many warriors are cut down. Arms are severed while still holding bows; banners, horses, charioteers, and chariot-fighters collapse to the ground, conveying a battlefield overwhelmed by destruction.