Mahabharata 7.21.43 — Drona Parva, Adhyaya 21, Shloka 43
द्रोणविक्रमदर्शनम् / The Display of Droṇa’s Onslaught and the Debate on Pāṇḍava Regrouping
वीरापहारिणीमुग्रां मांसशोणितकर्दमाम् । हस्तिग्राहां केतुवृक्षां क्षत्रियाणां निमज्जनीम्
sañjaya uvāca |
vīrāpahāriṇīm ugrāṁ māṁsaśoṇitakardamām |
hastigrāhāṁ ketuvṛkṣāṁ kṣatriyāṇāṁ nimajjanīm ||
Sungai yang garang itu seakan merenggut para pahlawan; ia penuh lumpur daging dan darah. Di dalamnya gajah-gajah bagaikan buaya, panji-panji berdiri seperti pepohonan, dan arusnya menenggelamkan para kṣatriya. Kiasan ini mengecam laju perang yang mendehumanisasi: keberanian hadir, namun dalam deras kekerasan, dharma pun seolah ikut tenggelam.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark metaphor—war as a river of flesh and blood—to highlight how violence, even when driven by warrior valor, becomes a force that indiscriminately ‘carries off’ lives. It implicitly critiques the moral cost of battle: when compassion and restraint fail, the battlefield turns into a current that drowns dharma along with warriors.
Sañjaya describes the battle under Droṇa’s command as so intense that it resembles a terrifying river. Elephants appear like crocodiles within it, banners like trees on its banks, and the kṣatriyas are portrayed as sinking in this deadly flow—an image conveying mass slaughter and the overwhelming momentum of combat.
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