Shloka 71
शिर: प्रच्यावयामास फलं पक्व॑ तरोरिव । इसी समय द्रोणने युद्धमें बड़ी उतावलीके साथ धृष्टद्युम्मके सारथिका सिर वृक्षके पके हुए फलके समान धड़से नीचे गिरा दिया || ७० ई ।। ततस्तु प्रद्गुता वाहा राज॑स्तस्य महात्मन:
śiraḥ pracyāvayāmāsa phalaṁ pakvaṁ taror iva |
Sañjaya said: With swift force he struck off the charioteer’s head, and it fell down like a ripe fruit dropping from a tree. The image underscores the grim inevitability of death in battle and the ruthless efficiency that war demands, even as it raises ethical unease about the destruction of those who serve as instruments in a warrior’s contest.
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse uses a stark simile—like a ripe fruit falling—to convey the inevitability and suddenness of death in war, prompting reflection on the moral cost of martial prowess and the vulnerability of even non-heroic participants such as charioteers.
Sañjaya reports that a warrior strikes off a charioteer’s head, which drops instantly like a ripe fruit from a tree, emphasizing the speed and decisiveness of the killing amid the Drona Parva fighting.