Shloka 41
उपायैः पूर्ववधकथनम् / Strategic Justifications for Prior Eliminations
पदातिहयसंघानां प्रयुतान्यर्बुदानि च | द्रोणेनैकेन नाराचैर्निर्भिन्नानि निशामुखे,उस प्रदोषकालमें अकेले द्रोणाचार्यने अपने नाराचोंद्वारा एक हजार हाथी, दस हजार रथ तथा लाखों-करोड़ों पैदल एवं घुड़सवार नष्ट कर दिये
padātihayasaṅghānāṁ prayutāny arbudāni ca | droṇenaikena nārācair nirbhinnāni niśāmukhe ||
Sañjaya berkata: Menjelang datangnya malam, Droṇa seorang diri, dengan panah nārāca, meremukkan gerombolan besar infanteri dan kavaleri—puluhan ribu, bahkan hingga berlimpah-limpah—serta menjatuhkan seribu gajah dan sepuluh ribu kereta perang. Bait ini menampakkan ketimpangan daya yang mengerikan di medan laga, ketika kepahlawanan berubah menjadi pembantaian, bukan pertempuran yang dituntun dharma.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how extraordinary martial power can overwhelm the norms of balanced combat; it invites reflection on dharma in war—prowess is admirable, yet mass destruction at dusk evokes the ethical burden and the tragic momentum of Kurukṣetra.
Sañjaya reports that at dusk Droṇa, fighting alone with nārāca arrows, devastates large formations of infantry and cavalry and destroys huge numbers of elephants and chariots, emphasizing the scale of carnage and Droṇa’s battlefield dominance.