Shloka 24
ध्वजवर्णनम् | Dhvaja-varṇanam
Description of War Standards
द्रोणश्न॒ सह पुत्रेण सर्वास्त्रविधिपारग: । “वे सारी अक्षौहिणी सेनाएँ जयद्रथकी रक्षा करेंगी तथा सम्पूर्ण अस्त्र-विधिके पारंगत विद्वान् द्रोणाचार्य भी अपने पुत्र अश्वत्थामाके साथ उसकी रक्षामें रहेंगे ।। २३ ई ।। एको वीर: सहस्राक्षो दैत्यदानवदर्पहा
droṇaś ca saha putreṇa sarvāstravidhipāragaḥ | eko vīraḥ sahasrākṣo daityadānavadarpahā ||
Sañjaya dit : «Droṇa aussi, avec son fils—maître accompli de toutes les méthodes et disciplines des armes—se tiendra en sentinelle. Et voici ce héros unique—puissant comme Indra aux mille yeux—qui brise l’orgueil des Daityas et des Dānavas.»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how mastery (sarvāstravidhi-pāraga) and concentrated guardianship are marshaled to protect a crucial aim in war; ethically, it points to the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between strategic necessity and the moral cost of escalating violence through elite force.
Sañjaya describes the Kaurava arrangements for protection: Droṇa, accompanied by his son Aśvatthāman, is positioned as a highly skilled defender, and a singular, Indra-like champion is also invoked as a formidable presence—emphasizing the strength gathered around the protected target (contextually, Jayadratha’s safeguarding in this episode).