Shloka 16
Adhyāya 36: Ghora-yuddha-varṇanam
A Clinical Description of the Intensified Engagement
युद्धस्थलमें अत्यन्त बलवान् नरेशोंको सारथि, रथ और हाथियोंसहित शत्रुओंद्वारा मारा गया देखकर भी महान् अस्त्रवेत्ता ब्राह्मणशिरोमणि आचार्य द्रोणने रणभूमिमें समस्त शत्रुओंका वध क्यों नहीं कर डाला? ।।
yuddhasthale atyanta-balavān nareśān sārathi-ratha-hasti-sahitān śatrubhir māritān dṛṣṭvāpi mahān astravettā brāhmaṇa-śiromaṇir ācāryo droṇo raṇabhūmau samastān śatrūn kathaṁ na vyapātayat? sa saṁsmaran droṇam ahaṁ mahāhave bravīmi satyaṁ kuravo nibodhata | na vā mad-anyaḥ prasahed raṇe 'rjunam samāgataṁ mṛtyum ivogra-rūpiṇam ||
Sanjaya berkata: “Di medan perang, meski telah menyaksikan raja-raja perkasa—beserta kusir, kereta, dan gajah-gajah mereka—ditumpas oleh musuh, mengapa mahaguru ahli senjata, permata kaum brahmana, Acharya Drona, tidak membinasakan seluruh lawan di gelanggang? Mengingat Drona yang gugur dalam pertempuran besar itu, aku berkata benar—wahai para Kuru, dengarkan dengan saksama: selain aku, tak seorang pun sanggup menahan kedahsyatan Arjuna di perang. Saat ia maju, ia laksana Maut sendiri, mengerikan wujudnya.”
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse underscores the overwhelming, almost inevitable force of a supreme warrior in war: Arjuna’s advance is portrayed as ‘Death’ itself, suggesting that even great masters like Drona were constrained—by circumstance, strategy, and the limits of human agency—despite their skill.
Sanjaya addresses the Kauravas, reflecting on Drona’s fall and responding to the implied question of why Drona did not annihilate all enemies. He asserts that Arjuna’s battlefield momentum is so terrifying that virtually no one can withstand him.