Shloka 59

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नन्तरे राजन्‌ द्रोण: शस्त्रभूतां वर:

Transliteration

etasminn antare rājan droṇaḥ śastrabhūtāṁ varaḥ

Translation

Sañjaya said: “Just then, O King, Droṇa—foremost among those who had become as living weapons—(acted/advanced in the battle).”

Word by Word

• एतस्मिन्: in this
• एतस्मिन्: Adhikarana
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: एतद्
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative, Singular

• अन्तरे: in the interval; meanwhile
• अन्तरे: Adhikarana
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तर
• Form: Neuter, Locative, Singular

• राजन्: O king
• Type: Noun
• Root: राजन्
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• द्रोणः: Drona
• द्रोणः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: द्रोण
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• शस्त्रभूताम्: having become a weapon; weapon-like
• शस्त्रभूताम्: Karma
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शस्त्रभूत
• Form: Feminine, Accusative, Singular

• वरः: excellent; best
• वरः: Karta
• Type: Adjective
• Root: वर
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

संजय उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Sañjaya
• Dhṛtarāṣṭra
• Droṇa

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

The line highlights how, in war, exceptional skill can make a person function like a ‘living weapon’; it implicitly raises an ethical tension in the epic—power and mastery are not identical with righteousness, and decisive moments often hinge on how such power is directed.

What is happening in the narrative?

Sañjaya marks a turning point—“in the meantime/just then”—and introduces Droṇa as the foremost among weapon-like warriors, signaling that Droṇa is about to take a significant action or advance in the ongoing battle scene.