Mahabharata 7.21.37 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 37
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
द्रोणस्तु पाण्डवानीके चकार कदनं महत् | यथा दैत्यगणे विष्णु: सुरासुरनमस्कृत:
droṇas tu pāṇḍavānīke cakāra kadanaṃ mahat | yathā daityagaṇe viṣṇuḥ surāsuranamaskṛtaḥ ||
Sebagaimana Viṣṇu—yang dihormati para dewa dan asura—menebar kebinasaan dahsyat di barisan Dānava, demikian pula Droṇa menimbulkan pembantaian besar di pasukan Pāṇḍava.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how war magnifies capability into devastation: a revered teacher like Droṇa becomes a force of ruin when bound to battlefield duty. The ethical tension is implicit—skill and righteousness are not identical, and even ‘duty’ can entail grievous harm.
Sañjaya reports to Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Droṇa is cutting down the Pāṇḍava forces on the battlefield. To convey the scale, he compares Droṇa’s onslaught to Viṣṇu’s terrifying destruction of the Daityas, despite being honored by both gods and demons.
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