Shloka 55
Droṇa-parva Adhyāya 114 — Karṇa–Bhīmasena Missile Exchange, Disarmament, and Arjuna’s Intervention
रसवत् पाययामासु: पान॑ मदसमीरणम् | तदनन्तर सब प्रकारसे सुशिक्षित उन चारों उत्तम घोड़ोंको सेवकोंने मदमत्त बना देनेवाला रसीला पेय पदार्थ पिलाया || ५४ $ ।। पीतोपवृत्तान् स्नातांश्व॒ जग्धान्नानू समलंकृतान्
sañjaya uvāca |
rasavat pāyayāmāsuḥ pānaṃ madasamīraṇam |
tadanantaraṃ sarvaprakāreṇa suśikṣitān caturṇām uttamāśvān sevakāḥ madamattakaraṇaṃ rasavantaṃ peyadravyaṃ pāyayāmāsuḥ |
pītopavṛttān snātān aśvān jagdhānnaṃ ca samalaṅkṛtān |
Sañjaya said: Then the attendants gave the four excellent, well-trained horses a sweet, potent drink that stirs intoxication. After they had drunk, the horses—refreshed, bathed, fed, and fully adorned—were made ready. In the war setting, the passage underscores deliberate preparation and the use of stimulants to heighten speed and force, showing how human intent and technique are applied to living beings as instruments of battle.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how, in war, outcomes are shaped not only by valor but by meticulous preparation and calculated means. Ethically, it invites reflection on instrumentalizing living beings—training, feeding, adorning, and even intoxicating them—to serve violent ends.
Sañjaya narrates that attendants administer a sweet, intoxicating drink to four excellent, well-trained horses. After drinking, the horses are refreshed, bathed, fed, and decorated—indicating they are being readied for immediate deployment, likely for a chariot in the ongoing battle.