Shloka 12
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 49: Yudhiṣṭhira’s Lament and Strategic Foreboding after Abhimanyu’s Fall
इन्द्रध्वजाविवोत्सृष्टी रणमध्ये परंतपौ । शत्रुओंको संताप देनेवाले वे दोनों वीर रणक्षेत्रमें गदाके अग्रभागसे एक-दूसरेको चोट पहुँचाकर नीचे गिराये हुए दो इन्द्र-ध्वजोंके समान पृथ्वीपर गिर पड़े ।। दौ:शासनिरथोत्थाय कुरूणां कीर्तिवर्धन:
sañjaya uvāca |
indradhvajāv ivotsṛṣṭī raṇamadhye parantapau |
śatrūṇāṃ santāpa-denau te dvau vīrau raṇakṣetre |
gadāgreṇa parasparaṃ prahṛtya nipātitau |
dvāv indra-dhvajāv iva pṛthivyāṃ nipetuḥ ||
dauḥśāsanir athotthāya kurūṇāṃ kīrtivardhanaḥ ||
Sañjaya berkata: Di tengah pertempuran, dua penakluk yang menyengsarakan musuh itu saling menghantam dengan ujung gada, lalu roboh ke bumi laksana dua panji Indra yang dijatuhkan. Kemudian Duhśāsani bangkit dari keretanya, berniat menambah kemasyhuran kaum Kuru.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between kṣatriya glory and the grim cost of violence: even the mightiest, likened to towering Indra-banners, can be brought down in an instant. Reputation (kīrti) motivates action, yet the imagery underscores impermanence and the ethical weight of war.
Sañjaya describes a mace-duel in which two powerful warriors strike each other with the mace-head and collapse to the ground like toppled Indra-standards. Immediately after, Dauḥśāsani (Duḥśāsana’s son) rises again, intent on advancing the Kurus’ renown.