Shloka 48

Devanagari script

यत्र वध्यो भवेद्‌ द्रोण: सूतपुत्रश्न सानुग:

Transliteration

yatra vadhyo bhaved droṇaḥ sūtaputraś ca sānugaḥ

Translation

Dalam keadaan ketika Droṇa harus dibunuh, dan ketika Karṇa, putra sais kereta, beserta para pengikutnya juga ditandai untuk dimusnahkan…

Word by Word

यत्रwhere

वध्यःto be slain, slayable

भवेत्would be / should become

द्रोणःDrona

सूतपुत्रःthe charioteer's son (Karna)

चand

अनुगःfollower, attendant

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

Sañjaya

Droṇa

Karṇa

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 frames a morally charged wartime moment: even revered figures like Droṇa become ‘vadhya’ (liable to be slain) when the conflict reaches a point where duty, survival, and strategy override personal reverence—highlighting the tension between respect for teachers and the harsh necessities of war.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya is describing a critical juncture in the Kurukṣetra war in which the slaying of Droṇa is contemplated/foretold, and Karṇa (called sūtaputra) along with his supporters is also implicated in the unfolding destruction—setting the stage for decisive, consequential actions on the battlefield.