Shloka 25
अध्याय ३१ — द्रोणानीके तुमुलसंग्रामः
The Tumultuous Battle around Droṇa’s Formation
तस्योन्नतांसं सुनसं शिर: कायात् सकुण्डलम् | भल्लेनापाहरद् द्रौणि: स्मयमान इवानघ,निष्पाप नरेश! उस समय अभश्व॒त्थामाने मुसकराते हुए-से भलल मारकर उसके द्वारा नीलके ऊँचे कंधों, सुन्दर नासिकाओं तथा कुण्डलोंसहित मस्तकको धड़से काट गिराया
tasyonnatāṃsaṃ sunasaṃ śiraḥ kāyāt sakuṇḍalam | bhallenāpāharad drauṇiḥ smayamāna ivānagha niṣpāpa nareśa ||
Sañjaya berkata: Wahai raja yang tak bercela, saat itu putra Droṇa, Aśvatthāman, seakan tersenyum, menghantam dengan panah bhalla dan memenggal dari tubuh kepala Nīla—berhias anting—yang bertubuh gagah dengan bahu tinggi dan hidung elok.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the harsh moral atmosphere of war: martial prowess operates with relentless finality, and outward marks of status or beauty do not avert death. It implicitly warns that when dharma collapses into total warfare, human dignity is easily reduced to trophies and severed limbs.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Aśvatthāman (Droṇa’s son) strikes with a bhalla-arrow and cuts off an opponent’s head, described with vivid physical details (broad shoulders, handsome nose, earrings), emphasizing the suddenness and brutality of the kill.