Shloka 50
युधिष्ठिरस्य कृष्णार्जुनादि-समाश्वासनम्
Yudhiṣṭhira’s reassurance and praise of Kṛṣṇa, Arjuna, Bhīma, and Sātyaki
तान् निहत्य रणे राजन् भारद्वाज: प्रतापवान्
tān nihatya raṇe rājan bhāradvājaḥ pratāpavān
Sañjaya said: O King, having slain them in the thick of battle, the mighty Bhāradvāja—renowned for his valor—stood as the instrument of ruthless wartime necessity, where prowess eclipses pity and the moral cost of victory is silently borne.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The line underscores the Mahābhārata’s recurring tension between martial excellence and moral burden: in war, even a celebrated teacher-warrior like Droṇa becomes defined by lethal action, reminding the listener that victory is purchased through irreversible harm.
Sañjaya reports to King Dhṛtarāṣṭra that Bhāradvāja (Droṇa), mighty in prowess, has killed certain warriors in the battle, continuing the grim progression of the Drona Parva war account.